Instructions

1. Rinse your asparagus and dry them on paper towels. If using canned asparagus, dry the spears on paper towels to remove as much of the moisture as you can. Moisture causes the oil you fry them in to sputter.

2. Cut the woody stems off of the asparagus spears where they naturally snap off when you bend them. Peel the fibrous skin from the base of very thick stalks, below the tips, with a vegetable peeler. This helps to create softer, less chewy breaded asparagus.

3. Boil fresh asparagus spears in a pot for 3 minutes if you want them to be tender in the middle and crispy on the outside. Dry them on paper towels and let them cool for 15 minutes. Skip this step if you want crunchy asparagus spears.

4. Sprinkle the asparagus spears with a bit of flour.

5. Beat some eggs, just enough to coat all of your asparagus spears, in a bowl. Stir in some hot sauce to add some extra kick to your breaded asparagus.

6. Dip all of the spears in the egg mixture until thoroughly coated.

7. Mix breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, dried herbs, spices and seasonings in a bowl and pour the dry ingredients onto a plate. You can also use pre-seasoned breadcrumbs and skip the other spices. Use panko breadcrumbs to make extra-crunchy breaded asparagus spears.

8. Roll the asparagus spears in the breadcrumbs until all of them are coated and place them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This helps to firm up the coating and make sure that it adheres to the stalks when you cook them.

9. Heat 1 or 2 inches of vegetable oil in a fry pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add as many breaded asparagus spears as you can to the pan without allowing them to touch.

10. Fry the asparagus spears in the oil until golden brown, turning them over after about 3 to 5 minutes. Total cooking time should range between 6 and 10 minutes.

11. Drain the cooked asparagus spears of excess oil on paper towels and serve them immediately, while still warm.