Green Oven Asparagus with Burrata and Furikake Topping: A quick spring recipe with just a few ingredients that has become one of our favorite dishes during asparagus season. Crisp asparagus and spring onions from the oven, creamy burrata, a hint of lemon and a crunchy topping of sesame, nori, chili and salt – we’re happy!
This extremely simple and at the same time extremely good dish is coming to us almost a little late in this asparagus season green oven-baked asparagus, spring onions, creamy burrata and crispy furikake topping on. The asparagus dish is so simple that it doesn’t really need a recipe because it feels like something you just threw together from leftovers that were still in the pantry and fridge – and that tastes great too. But maybe that’s exactly why the oven-baked asparagus with burrata deserves its own recipe and blog post. Inspired by the recipe newsletter New York Timeswhich recently arrived in the mailbox with an asparagus special, we remembered a combination that we had seen in it when we needed a quick side dish with asparagus for one of the May holidays: Asparagus, burrata and Furikake. Three ingredients that were enough to quickly create your own interpretation.
Even though we love white asparagus, we STILL prefer green asparagus during the asparagus season because it requires so little work and has a slightly crunchier consistency than its white big brother. Washed well and with the ends cut off, it goes onto the baking tray with a few spices and a little oil and practically prepares itself in the oven. It is accompanied by a few spring onions, which are just as uncomplicated as baked vegetables. We’ve known for a long time that burrata and asparagus get along so well Spaghetti with green asparagus, burrata, chili and lemon – a dish that has been with us for 10 years and is also well received by our blog readers every asparagus season. The particularly creamy Italian cream cheese and lemon zest give the green roasted asparagus even more freshness and a feeling of spring. Furikake made from nori sheets, sesame, chili and salt provides an umami bomb for a more intense taste, spice and some crunch. In short: This combination is unbeatable and the oven-baked asparagus with burrata deserves a permanent place in our kitchen every spring from now on – and maybe in yours too!
What exactly is furikake?
If you like Japanese food, you’ve probably come across furikake before. Furikake is a Japanese spice mixwhich is traditionally used as a topping for rice. The name comes from the Japanese words furi and kakeruwhich when put together means something like “to sprinkle on.” And you can really sprinkle the topping over almost anything: rice, vegetables, ramen, salads, avocado bread, fried eggs – or even over green asparagus with burrata.
The classic mixture consists of roasted sesame seeds, finely chopped nori sheets, dried fish (bonito flakes), salt and sometimes sugar, but there are countless variations with other ingredients such as dried egg yolk, yuzu, wasabi, shiso or chili. We love furikake because it combines so many different flavors and textures, has a good amount of umami and instantly upgrades pretty much any boring dish. In Japan, furikake is part of everyday life and can be found in every supermarket in different varieties and pack sizes. Luckily, you can easily make the furikake mixture yourself (you can find our recipe for a vegetarian version below) and vary it according to your mood. If you don’t have much time, you can also buy it ready-made in well-stocked Asian supermarkets or online* you can also find a large selection outside of Japan.
Simple vegetarian recipes for spring
Are you looking for more simple and quick dishes for spring? Take a look at these delicious spring dishes:
Oven asparagus with burrata and furikake (recipe for 2 people as an appetizer or side dish)
Ingredients for the oven asparagus
- 500 g green asparagus (rather thin spears)
- 1 bunch of spring onions (rather thin spears)
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
- pepper
- Chili flakes
Ingredients for the vegetarian furikake (alternatively: 3 tbsp purchased furikake*)
- 50g mixed light and black sesame seeds
- 1 nori sheet (or 2 tbsp finely chopped nori sheets from the package)
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
Other ingredients
- 200 g drained burrata
- Zest of 1/2 organic lemon
preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C (fan oven). Wash the asparagus, cut off the ends of the asparagus, if necessary, peel the lower third of thicker spears and spread the asparagus spears side by side on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Clean the spring onions, remove the top quarter of the greens and distribute the spring onions between the asparagus spears on the tray. Peel the garlic, cut it into thin slices and sprinkle over the asparagus. Drizzle everything with olive oil, season generously with salt, pepper and chili flakes and roast on the middle rack of the oven for about 20 minutes, until the asparagus is lightly browned and cooked through, but still has a bit of a bite.
- While the asparagus is in the oven, prepare the furikake: To do this, toast the sesame seeds in a small pan without oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes; If you want, you can then crush the sesame seeds a little in a mortar to extract even more flavor. Cut the nori sheet into very small, fine strips. Mix sesame seeds and nori strips in a small bowl with salt, sugar and chili flakes.
- Arrange the cooked asparagus and spring onions on a serving platter, tear up the burrata and spread over it and sprinkle everything with lemon zest. Sprinkle everything with about 3 tablespoons or more furikake and serve immediately.
Tip: Furikake in stock
If you like to eat rice or fried vegetables with a crispy topping, you can also prepare a large amount of furikake in advance. The remaining furikake will keep for several weeks in a clean screw-top jar.
*Note/advertising: For the one with an asterisk
