The end of March announces the return of spring products.
Squash is beginning to give way to salads and root vegetables.
On the fruit side, citrus fruits seduce us one last time before giving way to juice fruits.
Zoom on what it is good to bite into in the spring.
The vegetables
Garden vegetables
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In March, it's the big comeback of asparagus.
Green, white or wild, they delight our taste buds with their vegetal notes.
See the recipe for Grilled Asparagus with Parmesan.
Photo Valerie Lhomme
If several varieties of green salads grow despite the cold winter, we are very happy to find colors on the plate.
With its hints of red, "la rougette announces its return in March", indicates Amandine Troisgros (1), producer in Seine-et-Marne.
As for root vegetables, pink radishes, crunchy and powerful on the palate, awaken raw vegetables.
But at the end of the month, we notice the start of the asparagus season.
Green, white or wild, they are harvested until the end of June in the Mediterranean basin.
garden herbs
"Dandelion is also available, even it's almost the end of the season," explains the producer.
In the garden or at the market, this plant grows in the ground.
Its pointed leaves bring vegetal notes to chefs' dishes.
But it is its bitterness that we appreciate in salads with the tenderness of roast veal.
Forest mushrooms
Mushroom risotto lovers will not be disappointed this month.
The first morels can be bought from the beginning of spring.
We run to the market and prepare a cream of asparagus and morels.
If truffles were already present in the menus of the great chefs since the holidays, the full season only begins now.
From the black of Périgord to the musky of Provence via the white of Piedmont, the famous fragrant mushrooms are more and more appreciated on our plates.
On roasted scallops, these luxury guests enjoy an exceptional dinner.
In video, recipe for asparagus au gratin and poached egg
The fruits
Citrus
There is still time to get winter fruits such as citrus fruits.
Oranges, clementines or grapefruits, these vitamin-rich fruits can still be enjoyed.
Avid for exoticism?
Citron, yuzu or Buddha's hand prove to be good allies in the kitchen.
To sublimate fish or add acidity in baking, many chefs are increasingly including them in their recipes.
Exotic fruits
Exported, these fruits are sold all year round in supermarkets.
Pineapple from Martinique, mango from Peru or even papaya from Réunion, their sweetness brings sunshine to our plates.
In sweet and savory mode, we impress our guests with raw tuna accompanied by thin slices of mango and a drizzle of olive oil.
Juice fruits
March is the last month to get seasonal apples.
Third most consumed fruit in the world after citrus fruits and bananas, there are many varieties on the markets.
In compote, drizzled with chocolate or to accompany meat, this winter fruit is to be revisited in a thousand and one ways.
Still present until July, the pear grows on both sides of French territory.
It is particularly appreciated in juice to end the winter period in delicacy.
Thirteen seasonal recipes to taste in the spring
March products
In images, in pictures
See the slideshow13 photos
See the slideshow13 photos
The fish
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It's the height of cod season, we run to our fishmonger to get some.
See the recipe for cod fillets with pink radishes.
Photo Bernhard Winkelmann/Madame Figaro
We must also respect the seasons of the fish.
Between March and May, it's the peak season for monkfish, this seafood so much appreciated by great chefs.
Known as anglerfish, this elongated fish has no bones or scales.
Easy to work with, it gives, for example, a fricassee of monkfish with morels and yellow wine.
During this period, we also ask our fishmonger to prepare a cod for us.
Present in cold waters all year round, cod – or cod – is very abundant in the spring.
Sublimated by seasonal vegetables, we enjoy a cod with saffron milk.
Meats
Like fish, the majority of meat is eaten at certain times.
"They are better when the animal has fed in the open air pasture", specifies Simon Lalande (2), head butcher of the Boucherie Moderne in the 11th arrondissement in Paris.
Tip from the pro, "in March, the best meat to enjoy is lamb".
Be careful, however, for those who are anxious about weight, its meat is rather fatty and not particularly suitable for diets.
We will then avoid the shoulder to choose cuts less rich in fat such as the rack or the leg.
It's all in the preparation.
“Afterwards, throughout the spring and summer, we sell all kinds of meat, but processed differently. says Simon.
(1)
Le Jardin d'Hyppolyte
, rue d'Iverny, 77410 Villeroy.
Phone.
: 06 18 41 53 59.
(2)
La Boucherie Moderne
, 249 boulevard Voltaire, 75011 Paris.
Phone.
: 01 43 71 85 38.