Heat a large pot of water until rapidly boiling. Add one teaspoon kosher salt and stir. Add asparagus and set a timer for 2-4 minutes. Cook until crisp-tender. Very slender stalks will barely take 2 minutes, thicker ones can take up to 4 minutes.
Panko crumbs are Japanese bread crumbs. They used to be a little harder to find, but these days, most larger grocery stores carry them in the Asian section. You can also find them online.