Serves: 4 - Time:
Make the most of the British asparagus which has appeared early this year due to the mild winter. This is a very easy salad to rustle up – perfect for a weekday supper or for picnics and lunchboxes. I love orzo pasta-the delicate little grains of rice-like pasta work so well in salads. I probably cook it more than rice-and the bonus is you don’t need to worry about keeping it chilled as you do for cold rice.
Ingredients
- 275g orzo pasta
- 500g British asparagus, trimmed
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 240g crayfish tails
- 50g rocket, roughly torn
Method
- Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and bring back to the boil. Cook for about 7-8 minutes or until the grains are al dente-that is still with a little bite to them. Drain and refresh under cold water. Drain well and place in a large bowl.
- Heat the oven to 200˚c, fan oven 180˚c , mark 6. Place the asparagus in a roasting tin and toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and ground black pepper and roast in the oven for 18-20 minutes until tender. Leave to cool then cut in half and add to the pasta.
- Stir in the lemon zest and juice, remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, red chilli, crayfish and rocket. Taste and season the salad with a little salt and black pepper.
