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by: Gerhild Fulson / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust—rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.
Published: March 16, 2011, Updated: April 11, 2025
Asparagus salad (spargelsalat) is a springtime classic in Germany ... light, fresh, and oh-so easy. Even Oma says it’s fancy without the fuss!
This German asparagus salad recipe, aka spargelsalat, is one of those great spring recipes. It makes a great luncheon meal that's both light and tasty.
For about 6 weeks every spring, asparagus is THE vegetable throughout Germany. Even the finest restaurants have a separate spargel menu that has various dishes, all starring the tasty white asparagus that grows throughout the region.
For this recipe you can use either green or white asparagus. The only difference is in the preparation of the asparagus ... the white needs to be peeled and then cooked just a tad longer.
This salad is so yummy with its hard-boiled eggs, radishes, and green onions that complement the asparagus.
Did you know that asparagus can be male or female? Interesting, huh? But how can you tell the two plants apart?
The female asparagus plants produce small red berries along with their spears. While male plants grow longer in size and produce larger flowers as females as well.
When female asparagus is ready to be harvested, its stalks are more fern-like and the berries will be grown in. These berries are NOT edible. The berries produced by the female plant are actually very toxic to humans. They will start off as small green bulbs growing off of the spears, and with time become a bright red.
When harvested and sorted, it is crucial to remove the berries from the spears. The male plants will never produce these berries, which does make them easier for harvesting.
I know it's hard not to shoo the birds from your gardens. But birds will eat asparagus berries. It isn't harmful to them. So maybe they can help speed up the harvesting process by getting all those pesky berries off for you! ;)
Below, my 13-year granddaughter, Lydia, makes this as a traditional and vegan version, since for this dinner party we had some vegan guests.
Instead of putting the sliced eggs right into the salad and mixing it, she served them on the side. That way, everyone could enjoy this!
I have so many wunderbar memories in the kitchen with my Oma, and have had MANY of her most popular and traditional recipes, like this asparagus salad.
As you can see in the collage above, I grew up pretty familiar with this salad. I used to be skeptical about asparagus. But when Oma introduced me to this salad, I fell in love with its summery flavors and bold colors. It makes such a yummy statement piece for any dish!
The best part? It's actually SO easy!
Below, you can see my asparagus salad that I made just a few months ago for my family. It turned out just as good as Oma's! My family asks for this one often, and I have even introduced some other family members to it. It never disappoints.
Asparagus salad (spargelsalat) is a springtime classic in Germany ... light, fresh, and oh-so easy. Even Oma says it’s fancy without the fuss!
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
5 minutes
Total Time:
15 minutes
Servings:
Makes 4 servings
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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com
Recipe updated: April 11, 2025
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