Recipe

How to Make Your Own Fried Pickles

By Elizabeth Layman at University of California – Berkeley

People love fried foods. Fried shrimp. Fried chicken. French fries. Onion rings. The list goes on and on.

But what about fried pickles? Now, that’s something you don’t hear everyday. Though it sounds weird, if you can get the pickle jar open, you should give it a try. It combines dill’s tartness and fried food’s comfort; and if you end up hating it–well then, hey, you’ve got a new conversation starter.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
For the Tangy Sauce:

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons ketchup
1/4 Cajun seasoning
1/4 crushed red pepper flakes

For the Fried Pickles:

vegetable oil (for frying)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
2 cups sliced dill pickles, drained (TIP: I enjoy wielding sharp objects, so I used 9 baby dills and cut them into 1/8-1/4 inch slices myself. You can also buy them pre-cut if you’re less knife-happy.)

Directions:
1. Start by making the sauce. Mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, Cajun seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes in a bowl. Set aside.

2. Pour about 1 inch of vegetable oil into a frying pan and heat on medium-high until tiny bubbles form.

3. Open the pickle jar with your impressive muscles or find a friend. (TIP: if you don’t have any muscles or friends, you can run the lid under hot water for 1-2 minutes to help loosen the seal. Whacking it against the edge of the countertop won’t help. I promise.)

4. If your pickles are whole, choose 8-10 of your favorites and slice them into pieces about 1/8-1/4 inches wide. (TIP: much like people, pickles come in all shapes and sizes! For this recipe, don’t discriminate!)

5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, pepper, salt and water until smooth.

6. Add the slices to the batter and coat. (TIP: make sure the pickles are completely coated but not dripping with too much excess batter.)

7. With a slotted spoon, transfer the pickles into the frying pan in several batches. (TIP: if you’re patient, transfer one slice at a time. If you don’t mind them sticking together a little, throw several in at once.)

8. Fry until beautifully golden brown (1-2 minutes). You may flip each batch over once with a fork or spatula. Remove from oil with a spatula and set between two paper towels to drain.

9. Wait a few minutes for them to cool and then enjoy your fried pickles and tangy sauce.

Inspired by Food Network’s Almost-Famous Fried Pickles

More good stuff here:

• Forget Lettuce: 3 Easy Ways to Mix Up Your Salad
• The Best meatBALLS in Berkeley!
• Study Snacks for Success