Put a few inches of water in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Add the whole asparagus and cover. Cook for two minutes then transfer to a bowl of ice water. Let sit for one minute then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with ground sea salt. Cut the tips off and use a vegetable peeler to shave the stems into ribbons.

Heat the vegetable broth in a medium sauce pan until it’s warm.

In a risotto pan or a large deep pan heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil. The rice should look uniformly shiny. Lower the heat to low and add one ladle (⅓ cup) of broth and stir until the broth is mostly absorbed, then add another ladle of broth. Repeat this until all of the broth has been absorbed. Stir continuously so the rice doesn’t scorch.

Add the lemon juice, tarragon, and salt and stir to combine. Add the asparagus tips ( put some aside for garnish if you want) and stir to combine.

Plate the risotto and garnish with the asparagus ribbon.