Description
Lightly battered and fried to deliciousness.
Ingredients
Scale
For the tarragon aioli:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1 tbsp minced fresh tarragon or 1½ tsp dried tarragon
For the tempura:
- Vegetable oil or rice bran oil for deep-frying
- 2 lb asparagus spears, trimmed of tough stems
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups ice water
- 2 medium egg yolks
- Lemon wedges, for garnish
Instructions
For the tarragon aioli:
- Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and chill until serving time.
For the tempura:
- Pour at least 3 inches of oil into a large sturdy pot suitable for deep-frying and broad enough for the asparagus spears.
- Place the asparagus on a plate near your frying pot. Arrange a rack with paper towels under the rack for draining the asparagus. Also nearby, have a broad shallow dish with 3/4 cup of the flour, a large bowl for mixing the batter (which needs to be done at the last minute), and a long-handled “spider” strainer and tongs for retrieving the asparagus.
- Just before you are ready to serve the tempura, heat the oil to 375 degrees.
- While the oil heats, mix the batter, first whisking together the ice water and egg yolks. Mix them vigorously until frothy. Whisk in the remaining 1¼ cups of the flour, just until lightly blended. Don’t worry about a few streaks or lumps of flour. You don’t want to overwork the batter.
- Dredge the asparagus in the shallow dish of flour, a few spears at a time, then dip in the batter and slip into the oil one at a time. Repeat with remaining asparagus and batter, adding as many as you can to the oil without crowding or dropping the oil temperature. Cook the asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes, turning as needed, until golden.
- Serve right away with the aioli and lemons to squeeze over the tempura.