Fried Pickles

Thomas and I recently had a housewarming/birthday party for our friend, Lanny. Lanny is a guy who has all types of tricks up his sleeve – mainly hilarious stories and witty one-liners. A few months ago, he introduced us to his best contribution yet called the Pickle Back, which is a sequence of taking a shot of whiskey followed by a shot of pickle juice. It sounds absolutely disgusting, I know, but it’s honestly amazing how well whiskey and pickle brine complement each other. I knew that the Pickle Backs would be flowing at our party (one friend even brought her own homemade pickle brine), so I decided to go with the theme and make fried pickles, also known as frickles. Now, I don’t want to brag, but I’m pretty sure that I heard some partygoers utter the word “legendary” in reference to my fried pickles. Just sayin’. Lanny himself, a good ole Southern boy, sang their praises. With the abundance of Pickle Backs and fried pickles, we had one hell of a pickle party! Did that sound dirty? Whatever, it was awesome! Have you ever had fried pickles? Slices or spears?

Fried Pickles

I’ve had fried pickles in the form of slices and spears. I chose slices over spears because as my other Southern friend, Joey, adamantly says, “They’re like perfect little scoops for Ranch dressing.” So, that’s that.

Ingredients

1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1-1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1 cup for dredging
1 jar dill pickle chips
Vegetable oil for frying

Method

Drain pickle chips on a paper towel (save the pickle juice or Pickle Backs!). In a bowl, combine the egg, buttermilk, Worcestershire sauce, spices, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until well combined. Pour another cup of flour in a separate bowl. Add the pickle chips to the wet batter mixture and coat them evenly.

In a heavy pot suitable for frying, pour enough vegetable oil to fill the pot a few inches. Heat oil to 375 degrees. In batches, take some pickle chips from the batter, dip them in the flour, and then add them to the hot oil. Fry for a few minutes until golden brown. When done, drain them on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat process for remaining pickles. Serve hot with Ranch dressing and enjoy!