Fried Pickles

Ingredients

Fried Pickles

• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ cup (118 mL) buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 3 kosher dill pickles, cut into slices just shy of ¼" thick and lightly patted dry

Dipping Sauce (optional — plain ranch works too)

• 2 tablespoons ranch dressing
• 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce
• 1 teaspoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon mayonnaise
• Dash of Tabasco sauce
• Dash of ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oil — Fill a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan 2–3" deep with oil. Clip a frying thermometer to the edge (submerged in the oil but not touching the bottom) and set heat to medium. Bring oil to 375°F (190°C) — this takes about 10 minutes.
2. Mix the breading — Whisk together flour, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, and garlic powder. Set aside.
3. Mix the wet dip — In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg.
4. Prep pickles — Pat pickle slices dry. Work in batches of 3–4.
5. Triple-coat each slice — Toss pickles in the flour mixture, shake off excess, dredge in buttermilk-egg mixture, then coat in the flour mixture again.
6. Fry — Carefully transfer to the oil. Fry 3–4 slices at a time for 90 seconds per side, or until golden brown. Flip them partway through since they tend to float.
7. Drain — Remove with a slotted spoon or strainer to a paper towel-lined plate. Let the oil return to 375°F before frying the next batch.
8. Make the dipping sauce — Stir together all sauce ingredients until combined. Serve pickles warm.

Notes

• Pickle thickness matters — Slice just under ¼" thick. Thinner slices get overwhelmed by batter; thicker slices become awkward two-bite snacks.
• Pre-sliced chips — If skipping the slicing step, use about 1½ cups of pre-sliced dill pickle chips.
• Dry them well — Pat pickle slices dry before breading for maximum crispness. Wet pickles = soggy coating.
• Oil temperature is critical — Let the oil return to 375°F between batches or the coating turns greasy. Don't skip the thermometer.
• Extra crunch hack — Reader tip: add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the flour mixture for even more crunch.
• Oil choice — Vegetable, peanut, or canola. Skip olive oil.
• No buttermilk? — Use Sam's substitute: whole milk plus a splash of lemon juice or vinegar.

Nutrition (per serving)

Tags: #recipe #appetizer #snack #fried #pickles #american #gameday #partyfood