Asparagus, watercress and grapefruit salad

This is another of my salads where is have a wonderful array of seasonal ingredients which when combined creates a salad full of powerful flavours and textures.

The dressing is a mixture with the tangy juice from the grapefruit and peppery olive oil. I finished it off with some crispy flatbreads and a crumble of goat cheese.

Serves 4

Prep time 30min

Cook time 15min

Skill easy

Ingredients

250g asparagus, tough ends discarded;

1 grapefruit, peeled and pith removed;

2 shallots, sliced thinly;

250g watercress, tough stalks removed;

100g goat cheese;

1 flat bread, toasted until crispy, broken into bite-sized pieces.

Dressing

1 Tbsp grapefruit juice;

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil;

1 tsp honey;

Pinch sea salt flakes and grind of cracked pepper.

Method

Begin by preparing all the components for the salad.

Heat a griddle pan or heavy-based pan over a moderate to high heat.

Place the asparagus spears directly into the pan and grill until the asparagus goes a deep green and has a wonderful charred note (5 minutes). Remove and set aside.

Remove the segments from the grapefruit, keeping the juice.

Measure out the dressing ingredients and put into a small bowl. Add the sliced shallots and let the shallots marinate in the dressing.

To assemble the salad. Layer up the ingredients on a serving platter. Just before serving mix the dressing and pour over the salad, adding the pickled shallots. Toss lightly and eat immediately.