This can depend on how thick and meaty your asparagus is. Thicker stalks of asparagus don’t tend to get too crispy, but you should notice a slight charring on the outside. Keep in mind that you don’t want your veggies to be mushy! Cooking your lemon pepper asparagus for longer won’t necessarily make it crispier, it might just make it too soft. You’ll know that your asparagus is done frying when a fork can easily pierce the asparagus, but it still has a little bite to it.