VIDEO ALERT: Be sure to check out the video for this recipe in the recipe card. If you like the video, subscribe to our YouTube Channel!We absolutely love asparagus. It’s so versatile and so delicious. And wait until you try (fry) these babies.
There are so many ways to prepare asparagus, especially in the spring, when they are at their peak. But breading them and then giving them a quick flash fry is incredibly delicious. Dip them Homemade Ranch or Kickin’ Remoulade, and you’ve got something really special to serve!
HOW TO MAKE FRIED ASPARAGUS
These gems are actually incredibly easy to make.
All you need to do is set up a quick dredging station, heat some oil to 365°F, and you are good go!
PREPARING THE ASPARAGUS
We love using large asparagus for this recipe, but you can certainly go with small, thin asparagus, too.
EXPERT TIP: Before breading them, you’ll need to prep the asparagus. The ends can be tough and chewy to eat. We recommend using a sharp knife to cut about 1 to 2 inches off of the base of the vegetable. If they are thick, you’ll probably want to peel the skin off the lower ends of the stalks.
While you are preparing the asparagus, start heating your oil.
Now, it’s time to set up your dredging station. We use 3 baking tins to do this.
In the first tin, we have flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. Next is the egg bath, with Parmesan cheese and lime juice mixed in. And finally, the last leg of the station is seasoned bread crumbs with smoked paprika mixed in.
EXPERT TIP: We love using seasoned Panko bread crumbs because they deliver amazing crunchy texture and are wonderfully seasoned. You can easily substitute plain bread crumbs or plain seasoned bread crumbs. If going with unseasoned bread crumbs, add 1 teaspoon of dried oregano and 1 teaspoon of dried basil to the mixture, along with the smoked paprika.
FLASH FRY UNTIL GOLDEN
Once you’ve breaded all of the asparagus, it’s time to quickly fry them.
Your oil should be in the range of 350°F to 365°F. Fry them in batches for just a couple minutes, until crispy and golden brown.
EXPERT TIP: We love to use our deep fryer to make fried asparagus. You can absolutely use a cast-iron skillet, or a Dutch oven, too. The oil only needs to be 1 or 2 inches deep. Use a candy thermometer to gauge the temperature, or tear off a small piece of bread and toss it in. If it browns and crisps in about 15 seconds, it’s ready.
Fried asparagus is really beautiful when you serve it, too.
These are at their best served nice and hot.
A sprinkling of coarse sea salt is a nice finishing touch just before serving!
A GREAT APPETIZER
These are such a hit every time we serve them.
And don’t worry if they are not 100% covered in breading. That’s part of their charm, it’s nice to see the yummy asparagus that you are munching on.
As mentioned, it’s even better with a dipping sauce, such as Homemade Ranch, Fresh Marinara Sauce, or our Kickin’ Remoulade Sauce!
This truly is one of our most favorite appetizer dishes to serve and to chow down on!
However, if you don’t want to fry asparagus, try our Seared Scallops with Asparagus or our Roasted Asparagus with Chopped Egg Salad. You will also love our Cheese Souflé with Asparagus and our Slow-Cooker Asparagus Risotto!
But if you do want to give these babies a quick fry, we’re pretty certain you’re going to love them as much as we do!
Ready to make the best appetizer in town? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a picture of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @howtofeedaloon and hashtag #howtofeedaloon!
Fried Asparagus
Video
Equipment
- Deep fryer or heavy skillet (or Dutch oven) with a couple of inches of vegetable oil in it
Ingredients
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 lb asparagus spears the ends cut off and the ends peeled
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoon Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 cup bread crumbs seasoned Panko
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt for finishing
Instructions
- Heat oil to 365°F.
SET UP THE DREDGING STATION
- Place about ½ cup of water in a pan or medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- In a baking pan or on a platter, mix together the flour with the salt and pepper.
- In a second pan or medium-sized bowl, mix together the eggs with the Parmesan cheese and lime juice,
- In a third pan, or on a platter, mix the bread crumbs with the smoked paprika.
- Wet the asparagus in the water, and then dredge through the flour to coat. Next, add the floured asparagus to the egg mixture, turning to coat. Shake off excess egg, and then dredge through the bread crumb mixture. Place breaded asparagus on a platter and repeat the process with remaining asparagus.
QUICK-FRY THE ASPARAGUS
- Working in batches, fry the asparagus until golden brown, about 2 to 4 to minutes.
- With a slotted spoon or fry basket, transfer to paper towels to drain briefly.
- Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
- If desired, serve with homemade ranch, fresh marinara, or kickin' remoulade.
Notes
Nutrition
POST UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in April 2016, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipes, new tips, photography, and a fabulous new video in April 2020!
LJ says
First try and it was EXCELLENT! Thank you! We grated some ASIAGO on top and very little else (we’re old and watching our intake, salt..etc so the ASIAGO was our sodium). Appreciate you! Now on to some 5* Chili my husband made! – LJ in NW FL
Kris Longwell says
Hi LJ! Woo hoo! The addition of asiago sounds AMAZING! Fried asparagus, asiago, and 5* chili sounds like the perfect feast! Thank you so much for sharing and for the GREAT review! That means the world to us!! Please stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
Daryl says
I made this tonight and they were delicious. I left off the smoke paparika because I used Italian flavored panko bread crumbs. This pared well with the t-bone steak that we had for dinner. This will definitely be a do over for us. Thank you for sharing.
Kris Longwell says
Hi Daryl! Sounds like you had an amazing meal!!! Thank YOU so much for letting us know and we are so thrilled you enjoyed the fried asparagus! All the best, Kris & Wesley
PaulF says
My mother fixed fresh asperagus this way when I was a child and I have been doing it ever since. I use bacon grease flavored olive oil for frying. For breading I use a mix of 1/3 all purpose flour and 2/3 yellow corn meal. The flour keeps the breading light. My wife loves this recipe and the asperagus comes out tender and crispy.
Kris Longwell says
Hi Paul! Sounds wonderful! Thanks for letting us know!
Charleen McManus says
Hey guys – Found your site searching for recipes to get more use out of my air fryer Think these would work well prepared that way or do they really need to be deep-fried to shine? Thanks!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Charleen! We have not made these in our air-fryer, but they should work absolutely perfectly in the air-fryer. You know, deep-frying is always going to give you that delicious deep-fried taste and texture, but air-frying will be really good, too. I would say they only need to air fry for a few minutes, but maybe a tad longer. Let us know if you try them out and what you think!! All the best, Kris & Wesley