Radish Asparagus Avocado Salad brings together the very best of early summer ingredients. It’s a fresh and light salad served with a creamy yogurt, fennel, and garlic dressing and it is really very delicious. I always feel that there is something really special about the first fresh summer salad ingredients picked from the garden and, even if you don’t grow your own vegetables, seasonal produce always tastes better.
This is such a fabulous salad, it makes a perfect light summer lunch or supper dish or will serve more people as an elegant appetiser. You can add extra ingredients (see below for Variations on a Recipe) to make it a feast that will satisfy even the most hearty appetite.
The inspiration for this recipe came straight from my back garden. The growing season in Scotland is quite late so it’s well into June before my crops start to reach the cropping stage. The first to be ready are always the radishes and the ‘Salad Bowl’ lettuce, those little leaves you can keep picking all summer, they are so good.
Growing Radishes
I grow several different varieties of radish, French Breakfast is a longer radish and a quick grower, I also had some seeds of mixed radishes left from last year. Those ones come in lots of different colours, purples, reds, and whites. However, my new favourite is a radish called Topsi. It is a perfect little red sphere with lots of crunch and is a really quick cropping variety. If you would like advice on how to grow radishes check out Grow Your Own Radishes from the Royal Horticultural Society website.
Making the Creamy Fennel & Garlic Dressing
Making the salad dressing couldn’t be easier with a good power blender. I roughly chopped the garlic, but the fennel, yogurt, mayonnaise, spring onions, and lime juice went straight into the blender jug and seconds later I had a smooth pale green and fragrant dressing.
Variations on a Recipe – Radish Asparagus Avocado Salad
Asparagus
Asparagus has a very short season and imported asparagus just doesn’t taste as good. So if you can’t get asparagus grown locally, then you can add extra radish and avocado or substitute another salad vegetable like baby carrots, roasted at 200C/400F with a tablespoon of oil and 1/4 tsp salt for 20 min., serve at room temperature.
Fennel
I used the herb fennel in the salad dressing because I grow it in my garden and I love the mild aniseed taste, and I think it makes a really fresh tasting dressing. If you are not so keen on the taste, then you could use fresh dill, thyme, chervil or parsley. The taste won’t be the same but you will get a fresh herby tasting dressing.
Add Some Extra Protein
Radish Asparagus Avocado Salad absolutely stands as a dish on its own, but if you want to make the salad into a feast you could add feta cheese, fried cubes of tofu, or hard-boiled egg quarters. If you eat fish or meat, then flaked cooked salmon or chicken would also be great with this salad too.
More Salads from Farmersgirl Kitchen
PIN FOR LATER
Radish Asparagus Avocado Salad
Equipment
- Optimum Vac 2 Air Vacuum Blender or other power blender
- Frying Pan
- Sharp knife
- chopping board
Ingredients
- 150 grams (2 cups) lettuce baby leaf
- 2 (2) avocado
- 150 grams (1 1/3 cups) radish
- 1 whole (1 whole) cucumber
- 30 grams (1 oz) spring (green) onions
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) white wine vinegar
- 250 grams (2 cups) asparagus
- 40 grams (1.5 oz) butter
For the Creamy Fennel & Garlic Dressing
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) mayonnaise
- 100 grams (3/4 cups) Greek Yogurt full fat
- 25 grams (1 oz) fennel fronds
- 1 clove (1 clove) Garlic:
- 1/2 (1/2) lime juice only
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) salt
Instructions
For the salad
- Slice the spring (green) onions and place in a bowl. Cover with the white wine vinegar.
- Prepare the asparagus by breaking off the ends (furthest from the tip) where it naturally breaks. Then wash and dry on kitchen paper.
- Heat the butter until gently bubbling in a frying pan. Add the asparagus and cook for about 5 minutes turning frequently, until the asparagus spears are tender and can be pieced by a fork. Set aside to cool.
- Cut the cucumber in half long ways ( you can first cut across, then cut long ways if easier) and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. and discard. The slice each half cucumber longways in half then in half again. Cut into dice.
- Wash the radishes, top and tail and then slice thinly.
- Cut the avocados in half, remove the stone and the skin and slice.
- Drain the spring onions and set aside half for the salad.
For Creamy Fennel & Garlic Dressing
- Peel the garlic clove and roughly chop, add to the blender jug.
- Place all other dressing ingredients and half the spring onions that have been soaked in vinegar into the blender jug. Blend until smooth. Pour into a small serving jug.
To assemble the salad
- Divide the baby leaf salad leaves between four plates.
- Add the cucumber pieces, then the sliced radishes and avocado slices and lay the cooked asparagus spears across the plates. Sprinkle over the remaining spring onions and drizzle with the Creamy Fennel & Garlic Dressing.
Notes
- If you don’t have any asparagus or it’s out of season. Roast some carrots at 200C/400F with a tablespoon of olive oil and a 1/4 tsp of salt for about 15 – 20 minutes
- If you don’t have any fennel fronds then you can substitute dill, thyme, chervil or even parsley. it will taste different but you will still get a fresh herby taste.
- Make this light salad into a feast with added feta cheese, fried tofu or quartered hard-boiled eggs.
Nutrition
Choclette says
Ooh this looks so cool and refreshing. It’s a bit too hot and dry for me down south, though I know you’d love to get some of it up north. Love the sound of your fennel dressing. We used to have a lovely bronze fennel back in Cornwall. Will have to grow it here now.
Janice Pattie says
Thanks, yes it’s a bronze fennel I have too. I had one years ago then it got frosted, this one is just a couple of years old.
jacqui Bellefontaine says
what an interesting salad for many years i didn’t like radish but i am beginning to appreciate the flavour they bring to the table . Interesting how ones taste change with time! Thank you for linking to #CookBlogShare
Janice Pattie says
Thanks, Jacqui. Yes, I also think that I’ve been rather underwhelmed by shop radishes in the past, there’s no doubt that fresh from the garden they are a total delight.
Corina Blum says
I love the sound of this salad Janice! I really like radishes and even snack on them sometimes! This really would be a lovely light summer dinner.
Janice Pattie says
Thank you! I’m very impressed by your snacking habits!
jenny walters says
What a great recipe and fabulous dressing. Just the best way to enjoy incredible home grown produce. That is just what I fancy on a summers evening.
Janice Pattie says
Yes, ideal for a summer evening
Cathy says
I love growing my own veg but I’m such a fair weather gardener, I only start planting stuff around the time others have started eating their homegrown stuff! Creamy garlic and fennel dressing sounds yum 🙂
Janice Pattie says
Thanks, Cathy. I’m a bit of a fair weather gardener too, as I don’t have a greenhouse. However, radishes pop up pretty quickly and you an keep a succession going easily, such a bonus.
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
What a lovely salad – full of flavour I love. I have radish and avocado in most salads I make, but I don’t usually think of putting asparagus in a salad (I usually have it hot as a side dish), and I really should! Eb x
Janice Pattie says
Thanks, Eb. The Asparagus is really nice at room temperature, tender and goes well with the dressing.
Jill Colonna says
This looks really super, Janice. Totally agree about seasonal – and even better if it’s from your own garden! Love all the flavours in there.
Janice Pattie says
Yes, growing your own vegetables is very rewarding and knowing where they have come from and how they were grown is reassuring.
Nico @ yumsome says
What a wonderful salad, and such a great way to use all those radishes (I do love a good radish!). The dressing sounds especially fab! xx
Janice Pattie says
Thank you, it’s great to use vegetables I’ve grown myself, although I’m not sure I’d have the patience for growing asparagus.
Alex Ryder says
We actually have radishes growing here too and I love the sound of that salad dressing so I will definitely give this one a whirl!
Janice Pattie says
Aw thanks Alex, I’m waiting for my next batch to be ready as Iv3 eaten all the others!
Sisley White says
This looks so delicious. I love seeing your veg patch too. My radishes haven’t got very big yet but there is still time!
Janice Pattie says
Thanks Sisley, Everything is growing well and we’ve been enjoying lots of fresh veg from the raised beds.
Ella says
Delicious recipe Janice. I love eating salads and I always keep searching for new recipes of salads. Radish asparagus avocado salad recipe looks delicious. I am going to prepare this salad recipe for today’s dinner. Keep sharing more salad recipes like this.
Janice Pattie says
Thank you Ella, I hope you enjoy the salad.
Chloe Edges | Feast Glorious Feast says
Yum, I’m obsessed with eating as much British asparagus as I can when it’s in season!
Janice Pattie says
Yes, it’s lovely to eat the produce that is in season.