Fried Asparagus With Caesar Dressing

By Mark Bittman

Published March 9, 2013

  • William Brinson for The New York Times; Food stylist: Suzanne Lenzer. Prop stylist: Theo Vamvounakis.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(28)
Comments
Read comments

Featured in: Fine Dining Gets the Dim-Sum Treatment (Finally)

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 egg yolks

  • 1 small clove garlic, grated or finely minced

  • 2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

  • 12 anchovy fillets, minced

  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce (nam pla), optional

  • A few dashes Tabasco

  • 1 cup olive oil

  • Lemon juice to taste, plus lemon wedges for serving

  • Oil for shallow frying

  • 2 eggs

  • 2 tablespoons cream

  • Salt

  • 16 fat asparagus stalks, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise

  • 4 scallions, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise

  • Flour for dredging

  • Bread crumbs for dredging

  • Shaved Parmesan for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

6 grams carbs; 174 milligrams cholesterol; 310 calories; 18 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 28 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 600 milligrams sodium; 9 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the egg yolks, garlic, vinegar, pepper, anchovies, fish sauce (if using) and Tabasco in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, a little at a time, until the mixture emulsifies and thickens. Add lemon juice to taste and water to thin to a creamy consistency.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, heat about ½ inch of oil to 350 degrees in a skillet. Beat together the eggs and cream, and add a little salt and pepper. Dredge the asparagus and the scallions in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs, and fry, in batches if necessary, turning once, until nicely browned, about 5 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Drain on paper towels, and arrange on plates; drizzle with the dressing, top with the Parmesan, and serve with lemon wedges.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
28 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Randy

At the bottom of the page is a link to the original article. If you read it you will find that it featured 3 different recipes from a San Francisco restaurant: Avocado with Soy-Lime dressing, Fried Asparagus w/ Caesar dressing and Double Chocolate Rice Pudding. For whatever reason NYT chose to put all 3 in the same photo and used it on each recipe's individual page.
Confusing? Perhaps, but only if one fails to utilize all of the information available. Hardly worth great umbrage.

dk

Try cutting the asparagus across the middle first, leaving the tip side whole, and then cutting the stalk side lengthwise. Watch the pieces as they fry -- the process may need less time per batch than suggested in the recipe. If you are short on time the fried asparagus are delicious with merely the parmesan and a few squeezes of lime.

Chris Raftery

We made this last night for dinner as an accompaniment for our Easter ham. We had trouble getting the coating to stick, and when frying at 350 for five minutes the asparagus came out limp, not crunchy at all. Perhaps we need practice? We will make again, but take more care with the coating the spears and also crank the oil temp to 425 for a shorter frying time. We like the idea of adding za'atar to the flour mixture. Will try that next time too.

Gordeaux

Okay, so the photo shows avocadoes, but the recipe ain't got none. And the Caesar Salad dressing looks like pesto sauce, a shade of green unseen on Caesar Salad since the Pax Romana. What in the recipe would make Caesar Salad dressing that green? Anchovies? Wrong picture maybe?

Randy

At the bottom of the page is a link to the original article. If you read it you will find that it featured 3 different recipes from a San Francisco restaurant: Avocado with Soy-Lime dressing, Fried Asparagus w/ Caesar dressing and Double Chocolate Rice Pudding. For whatever reason NYT chose to put all 3 in the same photo and used it on each recipe's individual page.
Confusing? Perhaps, but only if one fails to utilize all of the information available. Hardly worth great umbrage.

dk

Also if available add dukah or za'atar to the flour before dredging for additional crunch and flavor.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.