This Chef’s Trick for Better Asparagus Is Already in Your Fridge

Grilled asparagus doesn’t need a lot of extras to make it shine. Trim the ends, brush your stalks with a little oil, grill them over high heat with salt and pepper, and you have a delectable spring side dish. But 2009 F&W Best New Chef Nate Appleman reaches for another pantry staple to upgrade grilled asparagus in minutes: He makes a mayonnaise marinade. 

“The mayo idea came from wanting to elevate veggies with something simple yet flavorful,” says Appleman, who is the corporate director of culinary innovation at Guzman y Gomez in Sydney, Australia. “Mayo has the right texture and fat content to hold seasonings well,” he adds. “I started using it on asparagus, then expanded to meats and fish.”

Here’s how Appleman uses mayonnaise to make a mouthwatering marinade for simple asparagus. 

Why mayonnaise is the secret to better grilled asparagus 

Mayonnaise is an emulsification of oil and egg yolks that has a higher smoke point than butter and most extra-virgin olive oils. That high smoke point allows you to get a crisp exterior on the outside of your food without burning it. (It’s what makes mayo the not-so-secret trick to extra crispy grilled cheese.) 

“I find mayo is much more versatile than oil because it doesn’t flare up or burn like oil can,” Appleman says. Don’t have a grill? He adds that a mayonnaise marinade works just as well when roasting food in the oven. It will give your asparagus or other veggies a crisp exterior and tender interior. And while mayonnaise is naturally rich, it doesn’t add too much perceptible flavor to dishes, which makes it a great neutral canvas for seasonings. 

To make a mayo-based marinade for one pound of thick asparagus, Appleman combines ½ cup of mayonnaise, ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, three tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, two teaspoons of salt, and seasonings like crushed garlic and smoked paprika for his Smoky Glazed Asparagus. He then coats the asparagus with the mixture and lets it sit for about 30 minutes before grilling or roasting. 

This simple marinade lends itself to all kinds of variations, and can also be used on other veggies like broccoli, green beans, corn, zucchini, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and cabbage. You can add grainy mustard as Appleman does for his Mustard-and-Mayonnaise Glazed Asparagus, or play around with different seasonings like chopped garlic, fresh cilantro, chili flakes, and harissa.

It’s just one more reason to keep the best mayonnaise in your fridge.