There are 2 ways for a food to qualify as an aphrodisiac. It can either contain some fantastic chemical boosting vitamins or minerals, or, frankly, it can look phallic in the right light with a pinch of imagination.
Considered by traditional Indian medicine to help improve the circulation, and by ancient Chinese medicine to increase passion and love, Asparagus, packed with vitamins A B C E and K, potassium, iodine and folate, and looking like, well, looking like asparagus, qualifies on both counts. It’s not called a “spear†for nothing.
Butter sauce is one of the most decadent things to eat with asparagus in existence. This is a really simple version that only requires a moment’s work before serving – nothing that would keep you in the kitchen too long on a date.
Ingredients (serves 2)
2 red snapper fillets (or any white fish fillets you like – though these have a beautiful pink skin)
1 bunch of asparagus, with the hard white ends snapped off
1 tbsp butter (cold) cut into quarters
1tsp butter (warm)
1 ½ tbsp white wine
Salt and pepper
- Lay out a double rectangle of foil about the size of a sheet of printer paper
- Lay the asparagus in the middle of the foil in a line and season well.
- Place the red snapper fillets on top, skin side up. Season with salt and pepper and dot with 1tsp of soft butter.
- Pull the edges of the foil up and over as though you’re going to make the parcel.
- Pour the wine into the parcel – try not to wet the fish skin.
- Press and scrunch the edges together to seal the foil.
- Place in a preheated oven at 350 for 8 minutes.
- Take out the fish and the asparagus and arrange on a plate.
- Whisk the cold butter into the hot wine one lump at a time (I use a little salad dressing whisk, but a fork will do as long as you’re careful not to rip the foil). The sauce will thicken and start to smell amazing.
- Pour the sauce over the fish and asparagus to serve.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with boiled potatoes with a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley scattered on top
- Or with some crusty French bread
You can find the story that inspired this recipe here.