Charred Asparagus Tacos Verdes Recipe

The beauty of a taco is that it can be stuffed with all manner of meats, seafood, or beans, but sometimes it's nice to make vegetables the star of the show. When grilled, many vegetables take on a smoky flavor and slightly charred texture that makes them every bit as tasty as grilled meat. This verdant recipe from developer Patterson Watkins showcases the quintessential spring vegetable, asparagus. Watkins grills big meaty asparagus spears, and she grills the ingredients for a tangy tomatillo salsa, too, to create a symphony of bright and smoky flavors. She tells us, "The garlicky salsa verde, with its bits of smoky char, add vibrant green chili heat and a tart tomatillo bite. Those green chili and tomatillo notes balance the creamy avocado and earthy asparagus. Where the crunchy pepitas and herby sprouts impart some pleasant textures." The whole thing is finished off with crumbly, tangy-savory Cotija cheese.

The serrano peppers Watkins uses to make her salsa give it a medium-high heat level, but this is tempered to some extent by the fact that she removes not only the seeds but most of the white membrane that contains so much of the capsaicin. If you want an even milder salsa, she suggests replacing the serranos with a jalapeño or part of a poblano (¼ to ½, depending on size). You can also cut down on some of the prep work for this dish by using a store-bought salsa verde or green enchilada sauce.

Preheat a gas grill or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat.

Place asparagus, tomatillos, serrano peppers, scallions, and garlic in a large bowl.

Place the veggies and place on the preheated grill.

Remove the vegetables from the grill and set aside on a plate.

Add juice from half a lime and blend until smooth.

Place mayonnaise and avocado in the food processor bowl and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt.

Top the mayo mix with 3-4 grilled asparagus spears.

Cotija is a crumbly white Mexican cheese that, unlike cheddar, Jack, or other popular Tex-Mex taco toppers, doesn't get too melty when scattered over a warm filling. It has a relatively mild flavor, as cheeses go, although it does add some saltiness and what Watkins calls "a little pop of milky twang" to a taco, enchilada, or any other dish to which it's added.

If you don't have any Cotija on hand and don't feel like tracking it down, feta cheese is quite similar both in flavor and texture. Watkins, however, finds it to be somewhat saltier than Cotija, so she advises using a bit less of it. Other possible Cotija substitutes include queso blanco, parmesan, and romano, but you could, of course, go with a meltier cheese such as the aforementioned cheddar if this is more to your taste. You could also either use a plant-based Cotija substitute or just leave the cheese off to make dairy-free tacos. If you want to go completely plant-based you'll also need to omit the mayonnaise in the sauce or replace it with veganaise.