How to Pickle Asparagus: Easy Pickled Asparagus Recipe

Pickled asparagus is asparagus that has been stored in a vinegar brine for several days or weeks until they are crispy, salty, and flavorful. The process of pickling asparagus is similar to how cucumbers are made into dill pickles, and it preserves the asparagus past the point when the vegetable would no longer be fresh and consumable. Many people enjoy eating pickled asparagus as snacks or adding them to relish trays or cheese boards.

To extend the shelf life of your asparagus and give you options for pickled asparagus snacks, follow these eight easy steps to pickle, can, and store your asparagus:

1. 1. Select the asparagus. For this process, you’ll want to use the freshest asparagus you can find, so learn when it’ll be asparagus season in your area. Look for bright green asparagus that are firm with no signs of shriveling. Depending on the freshness and how much trimming you will need to do when you prepare the asparagus, between six and eight pounds of asparagus should yield around six pints of pickled asparagus.
2. 2. Select the jars. If you want to use long asparagus spears, a tall jar will work best. You can also use shorter canning jars (like pint-sized mason jars). Just over a pound of asparagus should fit into a wide-mouth pint jar.
3. 3. Prepare the asparagus. Wash the asparagus. Trim off the woody bottom ends and discard those trimmings. Cut the asparagus to fit the jar, leaving at least a quarter-inch of headspace from the top of the jar. For shorter jars, cut the asparagus in half. You can leave up to an inch of headspace. It’s important to not leave the asparagus spears too long.
4. 4. Pack the asparagus. Pack the asparagus into the clean jars as tightly as possible since they will shrink in the hot brine. If you’ve cut your asparagus in half, you may choose to either combine heads and stems or keep them separated.
5. 5. Prepare the brine. Follow your recipe of choice to prepare the brine, usually requiring you to add your ingredients to a medium saucepan and boil them for three minutes. Note that your brine should be at least half vinegar to ensure the asparagus pickles properly.
6. 6. Add the brine to the jars. Ladle the hot pickling brine into the jars, leaving a quarter-inch of headspace from the top of the jar.
7. 7. Seal the containers. Screw on the lids and wait for the boiling water and brine to cool. For long-term storage, you may instead opt to process the still-hot jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. After removing the jars from the water bath and letting them sit undisturbed for 24 hours, your pickled asparagus should keep for up to a year.
8. 8. Store the jars. If you’re not using a water bath, refrigerate your pickled asparagus and wait at least a week before eating it. Note that it will keep in your refrigerator for at least a month.

Pickled asparagus can be a tangy appetizer, garnish, side dish, or addition to a charcuterie board. Here are five ways to use your pickled asparagus:

1. 1. As a side dish: For dishes that are usually served with sauerkraut or green beans, like pork chops or smoked kielbasa, you can substitute in asparagus to round out the dish.
2. 2. As a topping: Pickled asparagus can be used similarly to regular pickles. For example, you can use your asparagus as a topping to a hamburger.
3. 3. As fries: To make Parmesan herb asparagus fries, smother them in flour, eggs, and a mix of panko, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and oregano. Bake your battered asparagus fries in the oven until they’re golden brown.
4. 4. In drinks: Your pickled asparagus spear can replace the celery stick that usually accompanies the tomato juice and vodka in a bloody mary.
5. 5. In sushi: To make a spicy shrimp hand roll, combine your pickled asparagus with shrimp, cucumber, mayonnaise, and Siracha wrapped in sheets of zucchini.