It is asparagus season in the Netherlands, and the vast majority of asparagus here is harvested as white asparagus. Green asparagus are available year-round, imported from South America. Sometimes local green asparagus are available. Since they didn’t have to travel as much, they are fresher, tastier and have a smaller carbon footprint. White and green asparagus are essentially the same, the only difference is that the white asparagus is harvested while the asparagus is still under the ground. Asparagus turn green as soon as they are above the ground. White asparagus need to be peeled and have a delicate flavor. Green asparagus have the great advantage that they don’t need to be peeled, they have a stronger flavor and they are excellently suited for the BBQ!

To prepare the asparagus for the BBQ, start by snapping off the woody end. According to McGee this way of snapping is not economical because you snap off more than strictly needed, but I like to do it that way anyway as I rather throw away a bit too much than ending up with woody parts.

If the asparagus are not completely fresh and crunchy, it pays off to put them with the cut end in some water. The asparagus will soak up the water and become firmer.

The recipe is very easy: toss the asparagus with some extra virgin olive oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

The easiest way to BBQ them is to use a hamburger grid, thus you can turn all of them at once.

Cook them on the BBQ until they are brown (not black!). The bottom end needs more heat than the tips.

They are usually cooked as soon as they are brown, but you could always use a fork to check whether they are sufficiently soft.

BBQ’ed asparagus are good as is and don’t need a sauce.