12 Recipes To Get You In The Mood For Spring

Bring on the peas. It's hard not to start cooking lighter, brighter flavored meals with spring favorites, like fresh fava beans, crunchy asparagus, and the chef-favorite ramps abundantly displayed at your local markets. 

Now that winter has finished freezing us out, (mostly) hearty, warming meals don't have quite the same appeal. Replace those heavy dishes with bright, crunchy salad greens, like peppery arugula or watercress. Add intrigue to vegetables with simple sauces, like gribiche or hollandaise at breakfast or brunch.

For dinner, fire up the grill for smoky flavor that compliments the pungent, mild garlic flavor of foraged ramps. Finally, enjoy the sweet mango, which is at its peak flavor during the spring months.

For more ways to get in the mood for spring cooking, check out these 12 dishes using only the best produce available this spring, from sweet green peas to tart rhubarb.

Because my grandmother liked asparagus so much, my grandfather took special care with his plants. Today, I am carrying on the tradition. For this recipe I like young asparagus. I cook them in a skillet even when I am working over a grill to heighten the smoky flavor without it becoming too overwhelming. I top the asparagus with gribiche, a French sauce, traditionally an emulsion of hard-boiled egg yolk and oil perked up with pickles and herbs. I like a rough-chopped version and prefer to use the whole egg. I quick-pickle my own carrots (which is very easy) and put them in the sauce, but if you prefer another pickle, don't hesitate. — Chris Fischer

For the Asparagus on Toast recipe, click here.

Rich, creamy, and light as air—this is a really nice, simple way to serve asparagus. During its season, I like to eat local asparagus whenever I can. Use a mixture of white and green if possible—the contrasting colors and subtly different flavors are great together. Borage is not so easy to find in stores but if, like me, you grow the herb in your garden, scatter a few flowers over the top just before serving. — Skye Gyngell

For the Asparagus With Crème Fraîche and Parmesan recipe, click here.

Fresh artichoke hearts are poached in olive oil and lemon juice before being served with broad beans, almonds, and dill.

For the Artichokes with Broad Beans and Almonds recipe, click here.

This is my favorite vegetable. Ramps show up early and often on our menu, but no option is more popular than this dish. Pangrattato, if you've never had it before, is a topping made with old bread, spiced up with a little chile and rounded out with an anchovy for some richness. It's the perfect accompaniment to this pasta dish. — Jacques Larson

For the Bucatini with Ramps and Pangrattato recipe, click here.

This bright green salad is best made with fresh spring peas. It's perfect when eaten with crunchy bread or served alongside roast meats. — Hannah Hoskins

For the Fresh Spring Peas With Butter Lettuce and Dill recipe, click here.

Make this guacamole on your grill this spring. The roasted tomatillos provide smokiness and the grilled spring ramps add just the right amount of pungent, garlic flavor.

For the Guacamole with Bacon, Grilled Ramps (or Green Onions), and Roasted Tomatillos recipe, click here.

Trying to find a way to highlight the best of spring's bounty with all the fantastic produce from the farmers' market? Then you may want to try this recipe, which features a garnish of sautéed asparagus and spring onions on top of a perfectly cooked halibut fillet. — Mark Bodinet

For the Halibut with Asparagus, Spring Onions, and Lemon Thyme recipe, click here.

This potato salad uses spring onions two ways — pickled, and in a vibrant pesto. Any small potato (red new potatoes, or fingerlings) would work here, but if you ask Alexandre Dumas, author of The Count of Monte Cristo and an avid fan of the potato, "the best, without question, are the purplish ones, known in Paris by the name vitelottes." While you might not notice the taste difference he experienced, it's easy to see why he liked them: They transform the humble potato into the visual showstopper he hoped they would become. — Nicole Villeneuve

For the New Potato Salad with Spring Onion Pesto recipe, click here.

This salmon recipe incorporates the bounty of spring with fresh fiddlehead ferns and English peas. The fish is dressed with a creamy sauce that's richness is offset by the fruity tang of Meyer lemon. This is a great recipe to try if you're looking to make something a little special in the middle of the week without too much effort. — Michael Fiorelli

For the Pan-Roasted Salmon with Morel Mushrooms, Fiddlehead Ferns, and English Peas recipe, click here.

Layers of softened sponge fingers, rich mascarpone cream, zingy rhubarb, crunchy biscuits, and freshly made custard are piled on top of each other for a stunning springtime dessert. — Hannah Hoskins

For the Rhubarb and Berry Mascarpone Trifle recipe, click here.

Use store-bought wonton wrappers baked in muffin tins for this bite-sized appetizer of poached shrimp and fresh spring mango.

For the Shrimp and Mango Wonton Crisps recipe, click here.

This soup is everything I want from a spring meal. Its broth is infused with the sweetness of spring onions, and high-protein quinoa adds just enough body to satisfy. I roast the asparagus first and add it last so that it retains its taste and texture, adding another dimension to this soup that always hits the spot. — Terry Walters, Eat Clean. Live Well