Fry

Fried Asparagus Trimmings

by:
July 15, 2015
4.7
3 Ratings
Fried Asparagus Trimmings
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Serves 1 to 4
Author Notes

You will never make asparagus again without peeling off the bottoms. Why? Because you can make the most delicious fried trimmings and all you need is some oil and Wondra flour. These little babies taste great on pasta, in a sandwich, on some poached eggs or just on their own. I dare you to eat just one! —Anna Francese Gass

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch asparagus
  • 1 cup Wondra flour
  • 3 cups canola oil
Directions
  1. After giving the asparagus a good rinse, grab a stalk and lay it flat. Starting about 3/4 of the way up, with a veggie peeler, work your way around the stalk, peeling pieces off as you go. Try to get them as wide as you can.
  2. Place all the shaved trimmings on a baking sheet and pat dry to remove any excess water.
  3. Sprinkle the flour all over the trimmings and toss with your hands to get an even coat. The stalks should be evenly white when you are done.
  4. Heat oil to 350° F degrees and fry in batches until stalks are rigid and golden brown.
  5. Remove from heat and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt.
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  • Anna Francese Gass
    Anna Francese Gass
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    Sophie
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    The Cook's Tour
  • Rukhsana Meherali
    Rukhsana Meherali
Anna Francese Gass
Cookbook Author. Heirloom Kitchen.Food52 contributing editor & Recipe Tester.

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8 Reviews

Sophie
Sophie January 10, 2017
This sounds fabo, and one more reason to love asparagus. :) However, I am surprised how many of your recipes contain canola oil like this one. From what I understand, many processed vegetable oils are not very good for you, and canola oil is particularly prone to going rancid. So much so that it is likely rancid right off the shelf. Olive oil is a great substitute for raw or light cooking use, but refined, nuetral-tasting coconut oil (or unrefined, if you want that delicious sweet-nutty flavor) is the best for serious frying to deep frying! ;)
 
Anna F.
Anna F. January 10, 2017
Funny that you mention this, since this article was published I have moved away from canola as well. Have been reading a few articles claiming exactly what you are saying. I am now using grapeseed oil because of the high smoke content and neutral taste. Thanks for your comment and I hope you try them.
 
The C.
The C. May 16, 2016
This sounds great! Do you think you could use something like garbanzo flour to replace Wondra? Thank you.
 
Anna F.
Anna F. July 16, 2016
i absolutely think that would work and would add a completely different flavor component. please let me know how it comes out! thanks!!
 
Rukhsana M.
Rukhsana M. May 16, 2016
Please could you explain what Wondra flour is? We don't have it here in the UK but we do have fabulous Asparagus!! I'll try the substitute suggested but I'd love to know what Wondra is. Thanks for your fab ideas and recipes.
 
Anna F.
Anna F. July 16, 2016
wondra flour is a very fine flour. we use it here in the states as a binder, sauce/gravy thickener and in this case, crisper. you can buy it online if you are curious to give it a try. my grandmother even uses it in her cheese blintz mixture. thank you for your comment and good luck!
 
Mary P.
Mary P. April 26, 2016
I am looking forward to peeling asparagus and using this recipe. But I do not have wondra flour, I found a supposed duplicate: one cup of all purpose flour plus 1/2 tsp cornstarch. Sift three times, remove 3 tablespoons of flour. Flour will now be aerated and will be the correct weight for the recipe.
http://www.food.com/438574
 
Anna F.
Anna F. April 28, 2016
Thank you for sharing this Mary Pat!