Potatoes beware, asparagus are dressing up as French fries. Thanks to a beer batter and hot oil, the green stalks are golden and crispy. Lemon aioli makes great dipping sauce and there are three seasoning options depending on what mood you are in.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Active: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup lager, chilled
- 1 bunch pencil asparagus (about 1 pound), woody ends trimmed and stalks cut in half
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- For the seasoning: Stir desired seasoning combination in a large bowl until well mixed.; set aside.
- For the asparagus fries: Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat until a deep-frying thermometer registers 360 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl until well combined; set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Slowly pour in the lager and whisk until smooth. Dip half of the asparagus pieces into the batter, turning to coat completely and letting any excess drip off. Carefully add a few of the asparagus pieces at a time to the hot oil until all the battered pieces are added, then fry until golden brown on all sides and crisp-tender on the inside, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining asparagus pieces and batter, making sure to bring the oil back to 360 degrees F for the second batch.
- Toss the warm fries in the bowl with the seasoning combination and serve with the lemon aioli.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 835 |
| Total Fat | 69 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 44 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 10 g |
| Cholesterol | 18 mg |
| Sodium | 769 mg |
Reviews
I noticed in the video that almost all of the batter comes off while being fried. When they come out of the fryer, they look nothing like the original photo. How do you make sure the batter stays on the asparagus? I give the recipe 3 stars for looking good enough to make me want to try it and will give it more stars if I can get the batter to stick.
Made this multiple times, awesome recipe.
Loved it. I only used a little garlic salt after they came out of the fryer. Even my EXTREMELY PICKY son loved them.
Eating Keto and many of the ingredients can be substituted, but that Lager is definitely not keto, I wonder if I could replace it with fermented blueberry juice because that is quite fizzy.. Or maybe just plain old seltzer would work. I have made onion rings that normally call for lager and used seltzer instead. Is there any reason I am not considering that lager is necessary?
Haven’t tried making these yet but am hoping that they’re as good as they look.
Very good recipe!!!