Fried Pickles

By Kelly Bogard

Fried pickles are a true southern classic. And a great summer treat.

Did you know those pickles get their start in Texas fields where cucumber harvest is underway now? Some Texas farmers grow for Best Maid Pickles, which is celebrating its 90th birthday this year.

We’ll celebrate with them with this week’s recipe! And even your pickiest pickle eaters’ palates will be asking for more.

For Fried Pickles, you will need…
1 16-oz. jar hamburger dills
1-1/2 c. flour
1 c. buttermilk
1 egg
1 tbsp. hot sauce
1-1/2 tsp. cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
peanut oil for frying

There are lots of pickles to choose from. Standard dill. Bread and butter. But I prefer the hamburger dills because of their ridges.

Start by draining and patting dry the pickle slices.

While the pickles are drying, mix together 1 cup of the flour with all of the other ingredients. You want to reserve 1/2 cup in a bowl by itself. Next, mix together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

The next part is what I like to call the three Ds. It begins with dusting the pickles in the plain flour.

Follow this with dipping them in the buttermilk mixture. I do this by hand, so prepare to get a little messy.

Finally, dredge them in the seasoned flour.

Put about one inch of oil in the bottom of a heavy frying pan and heat over medium heat. You can check to see if it is hot enough by sprinkling just a pinch of flour into the oil. If it bubbles, you are ready to put in a layer of pickles.

Fry the pickles until golden on both sides, flipping once to get them evenly cooked. This will make several batches, so be sure to have a plate on hand to hold the pickles as they come out of the oil.

These pickles are great as an appetizer or snack while you are waiting on your barbecue to finish. Also, they cook so quickly that you won’t have to worry about getting the kitchen too hot. Happy birthday, Best Maid Pickles, and from all of us at Texas Table Top, enjoy!

Recipe: Fried Pickles

Summary: Crispy, crunchy and tart bite-sized snack

Ingredients

1 16-oz. jar hamburger dills
1-1/2 c. flour
1 c. buttermilk
1 egg
1 tbsp. hot sauce
1-1/2 tsp. cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
peanut oil for frying

Instructions

Drain and dry pickles.
Divide flour into two bowls. One with 1 cup, the other with 1/2 cup.
Add remaining dry ingredients to 1 cup of flour and mix well.
Combine all wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
Dust the pickles in the plain flour.
Dip them in the buttermilk mixture.
Dredge them in the seasoned flour.
Heat the oil over medium heat for frying.
Test the oil temperature by sprinkling a pinch of flour in it. If it bubbles up, it is ready.
Fry the pickles in a single layer until both sides are golden.
Repeat the process until all pickles are fried.