Asparagus with Blood Orange Sauce Maltaise & Crispy Serrano

⏱ 30 min · Serves 4

Spring asparagus draped in a silky blood-orange hollandaise, shattered with salty shards of crisped Serrano ham. It looks like a restaurant plate but comes together in half an hour — the trick is warm butter, cold nerve and a steady whisk.

Per serving: 420 kcal · 9.0g protein · 6.0g carbs · 41.0g fat

Ingredients

• 500g asparagus spears, woody ends snapped off
• 6 thin slices Serrano ham (about 60g)
• 175g unsalted butter
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 1 blood orange (finely grated zest of 1/2, plus 3 tbsp juice)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Fine sea salt
• Flaky sea salt and a little extra virgin olive oil, to finish

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C fan. Lay the Serrano slices flat on a lined baking tray, cover with a second sheet of baking paper and a second tray to keep them flat. Bake 8-10 minutes until crisp and deep pink. Cool on the tray, then snap into shards.
2. Melt the butter gently in a small pan, skim any foam, and keep it warm but not hot. Reduce the blood orange juice in a separate small pan to about 1.5 tbsp, then set aside to cool slightly.
3. Bring a wide pan of well-salted water to the boil. Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (base not touching the water).
4. Whisk the yolks with the cold water and a pinch of salt in the bowl for 2-3 minutes until pale, thick and ribbon-like.
5. Take the bowl off the heat and dribble in the warm butter a few drops at a time at first, whisking constantly, then in a thin steady stream, leaving the milky solids behind. You want a glossy sauce with the body of double cream.
6. Whisk in the reduced blood orange juice, the zest, lemon juice and cayenne. Taste and season. Keep somewhere warm (a bowl of hand-hot water works) and whisk occasionally.
7. Boil the asparagus for 2-3 minutes depending on thickness, until just tender with a little bite. Lift out and drain well on a clean tea towel — wet asparagus will thin the sauce.
8. Pile the asparagus on warm plates, spoon the Maltaise generously over the middle, scatter the Serrano shards, and finish with flaky salt, a thread of olive oil and a little extra zest.