Cut the woody ends off of the asparagus and discard. Cut the stalks into 2 to 3-inch pieces.
Add a few inches of water into a pot (make sure that when you put a steamer basket in the pot, the basket doesn't touch the water). Bring the water to a boil.
Put the chopped asparagus into the steamer basket and set it into the pot. Put the lid on and steam for 5 minutes, or until tender.
Zest the lemon into the bowl, then add the juice of ½ of the lemon along with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Toss the asparagus in the dressing and serve right away.