Fried Asparagus with Spring Salad and Sauce Hollandaise Dressing
Springtime is asparagus time! For most people, that means cooked asparagus and hollandaise sauce! It's an absolute classic, but we think you should try at least one new asparagus dish every year. If you’re looking for some special ideas, you can find a vegan asparagus lasagne with sauce hollandaise, a vegan asparagus pasta salad with strawberries, and a vegan onion tart with asparagus on or blog.
Today, we have yet another great asparagus recipe for you: deep-fried asparagus! It’s the recipe with which I have fulfilled my goal of "one new asparagus recipe a year". Will you join me?
The idea, of course, came from Julia, the queen of deep-frying here in the office. I think we have never been that excited about asparagus before. Of course, many people prefer green asparagus over white but wait till you try this recipe! The breading gives the asparagus such a nice crunch. So this recipe is an absolute must, even for those who usually go for green asparagus.
Can you even have deep-fried food without a dip? We decided on a simple plant-based yogurt and creme fraîche dip. Instead of potatoes, we paired the asparagus with a refreshing spring salad. So despite the crispy asparagus, it's quite a light meal. Perfect for spring!
Of course, we are not putting actual hollandaise sauce on our salad. Instead, we made a light hollandaise-inspired dressing. Salad, dressing, and the dip are made in no time, so you can focus on deep-frying that asparagus. We can't wait to hear from you if you love this recipe as much as we do.
Fried Asparagus with Spring Salad and Sauce Hollandaise Dressing
Ingredients
For the deep-fried asparagus:
- 1 kg (35 oz) white asparagus
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 100 g (0.75 cup) flour
- 400 ml (1.75 cups) plant-based milk
- 150 g (5.5 oz) (panko) breadcrumbs
- 1 l (4.25 cups) vegetable oil for frying
- 50 g (1.75 oz) vegan Parmesan (optional)
- salt
For the dip:
- 250 g (0.75 cup) plant-based yogurt
- 300 g (10 oz) vegan crème fraîche
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- 6 tsp dried chervil
- 5 g (0.25 oz) fresh chives
- salt
- pepper
For the salad:
- 200 g (7 oz) mixed lettuce
- 100 g (3.5 oz) radishes
- 2 spring onions
- 100 g (3.5 oz) white mushrooms
- 30 g (1 oz) sunflower seeds
For the hollandaise dressing:
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 100 ml (0.5 cup) vegetable cream
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp mustard
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp agave syrup
- 0.25 tsp kala namak salt
- white pepper
- salt
For serving:
- cress
Instructions
First, wash lettuce, radishes, spring onions, and clean mushrooms. Thinly slice spring onions, radishes, and mushrooms. Add them to a bowl and mix.
Toast sunflower seeds in a fat-free frying pan over medium heat until golden brown, tossing them in the pan from time to time. Once done, remove them from the pan and let cool.
Add all the ingredients for the dressing to a tall container and blend briefly with an immersion blender. Be careful with kala namak salt, as it has an intense flavor. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
For the dip, stir to combine plant-based yogurt, crème fraîche, lemon juice, and agave syrup. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add chervil and finely chopped chives.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp vegan butter. In the meantime, peel the asparagus and trim any woody ends.
Boil the peeled asparagus for about a minute. Then reduce the heat and let simmer for 6-8 minutes until cooked and fork-tender..
In the meantime, fill three bowls with flour, plant-based milk, and (panko) breadcrumbs each. You can add some vegan parmesan to your breadcrumbs for a cheesy flavor.
Tip: Panko is the Japanese version of breadcrumbs. It’s much coarser, which makes the crust even crisper. You can find it in Asian grocery stores or the Asia section of larger supermarkets. If you can't tolerate gluten, you can of course use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
As soon as the asparagus is cooked, drain and let cool. Dredge each stalk of asparagus in flour first, then dip it into plant-based milk, and cover completely with breadcrumbs or panko. To get an even crispier layer, repeat the last two steps for breading one more time.
Pour frying oil into a small saucepan and heat to about 180°C/355°F. If you use a larger pan, 180°C might not be hot enough. Hold a wooden skewer into the oil – the oil is hot enough once tiny bubbles form around the skewer. It works best only to fry three or four asparagus spears at a time. As soon as they are brown and crisp (which takes about 3-4 minutes), remove them from the saucepan and immediately drain them on paper towels.Garnish the salad with dressing, sunflower seeds, and cress. Serve the deep-fried asparagus with the dip and salad.
