Easy Grilled Asparagus Recipe With Charred Lemon

This easy Grilled Asparagus recipe is sure to become your go-to summer side dish. A squeeze of warm juice from the charred lemons really makes this recipe stand out. The best part? This is a side that could pair with just about any main—from a juicy turkey burger to grilled Mahi Mahi.

Prep Time5

Cook Time7

Total Time12

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Servings: people

Ingredients

1 bunch of asparagus This recipe uses thinner spears; see notes for thicker spears.
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
A few pinches of sea salt
A few generous cranks for cracked black pepper
1 lemon, cut in half

Instructions

Heat your grill on high to about 400º F (200º C). This is a safe temperature when cooking with aluminum foil.
While the grill heats up, wash your asparagus spears, then break off the woody ends by gently bending the spears near the end of the spear—about 1-1.5 inches away from the end. The spear will snap off exactly where it should, which takes the guesswork out of getting rid of those rough ends.
Place the asparagus spears into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil, then hit then with some sea salt and a generous amount of cracked black pepper.
Using clean hands, gently toss the spears, massaging the oil over them to ensure even coverage.
Place a large piece of tin foil onto the hot grill (a piece large enough to contain the asparagus) and carefully dump the asparagus onto the tin foil. They should start sizzling immediately. With tongs, spread them out for an even cook.
Close the lid of the grill and let the spears cook for about 4 minutes.
After 4 minutes, give the spears a gentle toss with the tongs.
Place the lemon halves, cut-side down, directly onto the grill grates (not the foil) and close the lid. Let the spears cook for another 3 minutes.
Open the lid and, with tongs, flip the lemons over. They should be nicely charred. Place them onto a serving plate.
Check the tenderness of the asparagus with a fork. When they're ready, they will be tender and should be bright green in color with some nice char marks.
Squeeze the charred lemons over the spears and serve.

Notes

Cooking with aluminum foil safety tips:

Cooking with aluminum foil is generally safe at temperatures up to 400°F (200°C). However, studies have shown that aluminum may leach into food at higher temperatures, especially above 425°F (220°C), and this is more likely to happen with acidic ingredients like tomatoes or citrus. This is why it's important to not place the lemons onto the foil to grill.

Nutrition