5 July, 2012
Comments : 8 Posted in : Appetizer on July 5, 2012 by : Chris Tags: appetizer, pickles
The first time we had fried pickles was 4 years ago when we were camping at Acadia National Park, just outside of Bar Harbor, Maine. We were lazy one night so decided to head into town to eat rather than cook on our little charcoal grill. We sat down at some little pub and after ordering our drinks saw Fried Pickles on the appetizer menu. Fried Pickles? Really?
Now maybe you have a more diverse culinary background than we, but I don’t think either of us had ever heard of, let alone tried, fried pickles before. Well, we like fried mozzarella sticks, fried onions, and fried potatoes, so why not? Bring us some fried pickles!
We were blown away. The seasoned crunchiness of the batter gave way to the warm, moist, salty pickle inside. Paired with a tasty ranch or chipotle dip and it’s a sure win.
Ever since, we’ve been big fans of fried pickles. But not many places (certainly no local ones) include them on the menu. And since we don’t go out to eat very often, that means we’ve only had fried pickles a handful of times.
I don’t know what took us so long but we finally got around to making our own. We looked to a foodie friend for a recipe, Nicole of The Daily Dish. We not only made the fried pickles Nicole posted but a homemade ranch dip/dressing that were a perfect compliment to each other.
With Baby #2 on the way and Baby Boy not one for sitting at a dinner table long, chances are good we won’t be eating out and getting fried pickles made for us any time soon. These recipe was a real hit (we shared with my parents who were over) and will most certainly be making them ourselves again.
Incidentally, it was that trip back from Bar Harbor where Rachel and I first agreed on Baby Boy’s name. You know how it goes (maybe?) – relatively newlyweds on a 12 hour car ride talking about anything and everything, including baby names for future little ones. We both liked Baby Boy’s name, so we kept it in the back of our heads. Fast forward a few years and, still liking it, we used it.
Fast forward again, little more than a year later to today, and with Baby Boy #2 just a few months from his grand debut and we just can’t come up with a name we both like. We used it up already!
Maybe we just need to be stuck in the car for 12 hours again. That’ll happen before the end of the summer when we go on vacation to the Outer Banks in NC. Don’t worry Baby Boy #2, we’ll find a name for you yet!
Homemade Fried Pickles
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup. milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- A spoonful of flour (see directions)
- 1 3/4 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- olive oil for frying
- 1 jar of dill pickle spears, sliced in half lengthwise
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and Worcestershire sauce. Add a spoonful or two of flour. (You're going for a smooth consistency but with a little hold, this helps when dipping everything)
- In another bowl, combine the rest of your flour, pepper and the old Bay Seasoning. You can add whatever seasonings you want, but this combination is the one we loosely followed.
- In a fry pan, pour enough oil to coat bottom of pan and heat over medium high heat. While this is happening, proceed with next step of preparing the pickles.
- Take a pickle slice and dip it into the egg mixture. Now dredge it through the flour mixture, covering all sides as well as you can. Re-dip into egg mixture and again into flour mixture.
- Tip: Try not to use your fingers when dipping - wherever your fingers happen to be holding the pickle will prevent the pickle from being coated. We used a small pair of tongs to accomplish this. If you don't have them you can use two forks.
- Gently place pickles into the hot oil and allow to fry on one side until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and continue to cook another minute until golden brown all over.
- Remove from oil and place onto a plate lined with paper towel to wick away excess oil. Let rest for a minute or two (very hot!).
- Serve with ranch dip or your favorite accompaniment.
http://thekeenancookbook.com/appetizer/homemade-fried-pickles-and-buttermilk-ranch-dressing
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup buttermilk (we used 1/2 cup low fat milk and 1 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar, mixed and left to sit for a few minutes, as substitute)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried chives (or about 2 teaspoons fresh)
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Keeps for about 2 weeks sealed in an airtight container.
http://thekeenancookbook.com/appetizer/homemade-fried-pickles-and-buttermilk-ranch-dressing
Both recipes adapted from Daily Dish Recipes:
Fried Pickles and Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
8s COMMENTS
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July 5, 2012 at 11:10 am
any chance these will show up at your BBQ in a few weeks time? 😉
Oh, btw, the Hooters by you had Fried Pickle Chips with a Dill dipping sauce on the menu last I was there (2008).
…just checked and the online menu says that they still have ’em. 🙂
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Dylan
September 8, 2012 at 4:19 pm
Have loved fried pickles for a while now, but could never find a good recipe to make at home. These have done it for me! Followed it exactly, without the worcestershire sauce and added some salt. Amazingly good!
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Chris
September 8, 2012 at 5:18 pm
Awesome! So glad to hear you liked them 🙂
A little bit of work, but well worth it!Log in to Reply
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Mama J
December 9, 2013 at 12:41 pm
Can’t wait to use this recipe! And I hope you still enjoy coming to the outer banks of NC. How great!
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Chris
December 9, 2013 at 1:22 pm
We do! Planning to come back for summer vacation 2014!!
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