Of all the crispy, crunchy, irresistible fried delicacies in this world, I think I probably love Fried Zucchini the best, but now I think that might just be because I hadn’t happened upon Fried Asparagus quite yet. See, asparagus is my favorite vegetable and this recipe takes those bright green spears and brings them to you in crispety-crunchety fried snack form… but right out of your oven. That’s right, no frying! Just baking here, my friends, and you still get all the crunch with none of the grease.

I have tried plenty of baked/fried recipes before that have fallen totally flat. (Bendy, soft baked fries, anyone?) But this is not one of them. These Asparagus Fries are truly crispy, and that is largely thanks to how they’re prepared. The key is in getting the coating to really stick and with a thicker panko coating that can be a challenge.

But the trick is in a multi-step dredging process. You’re going to go egg, flour, back in egg, and then into the breadcrumb coating. Then the coating sticks wonderfully. You’ll want to press that mixture onto the asparagus a bit and try not to get extra egg in your bowl as it will make the process harder as you go on, but follow those steps and you’ll be biting into beautifully crisp yet tender asparagus in no time.