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1
Trim each artichoke aggressively: snap away all dark-green outer leaves, working down until only pale yellow-green leaves remain. Cut the stem to roughly 3 cm and peel it to its pale core. Slice the top quarter of the remaining leaves away horizontally. Rub every cut surface immediately with the halved lemon to prevent oxidation. The artichoke is ready when no dark-green leaf tissue remains anywhere.
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2
Season the trimmed artichoke with salt and pepper, working between the leaves. Press the artichoke gently but firmly, stem upward, on the work surface to begin fanning the leaves open — the goal is a slight spreading of the leaf crown without tearing. The leaves should yield perceptibly under the hand.
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3
Heat the olive oil in a deep, heavy vessel to 160 °C. Submerge the artichokes stem-side up and hold them below the surface. Fry for 10–12 minutes. This is where the dish lives or dies: the low-temperature first fry must cook the heart entirely through while the leaves soften to accept the second fry — if the oil is too hot, the exterior crisps before the heart is tender; if too cool, the artichoke stews rather than fries. The artichoke is done at this stage when a skewer meets no resistance at the heart.
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4
Lift the artichokes from the oil and drain briefly. While still hot, press each one firmly stem-side down on the work surface, spreading the leaves as wide as possible into a full open flower. Every leaf surface must be exposed to the oil in the second fry — insufficient fanning here produces uneven crispness.
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5
Raise the oil temperature to 190 °C. Return the fully fanned artichokes to the oil for 2–3 minutes. The outer leaves will darken to deep gold and become audibly crisp when tapped with a spoon. Remove and drain on absorbent paper. Serve within minutes: steam rising from the heart will wilt the outer leaves if the dish stands.