Fried Pickles with Tangy Asian Dipping Sauce
Yield: About 120-150 pickle appetizers, or 20-30 servings
Cook Time: 1-2 minutes per batch
Tips: To make dip more spicy, add small amounts of the Asian chili paste, taste testing until desired spice level is reached (try adding 1 teaspoon of chili paste at a time).
Suggestion: Delicious served and without the dipping sauce.
Chances are, when most of us think of fried pickles, dill pickles are the first kind of pickles (or pickle chips) that come to mind. For some, although dill pickles are perfect and fantastic for all sorts of purposes, they might seem a little too sour to serve as an appetizer for some folks. This fried pickles recipe solves this challenge by using bread and butter pickles instead of dill pickles. Bread and butter pickles are not as sour as dill pickles, and are not quite as sweet as sweet pickles, gherkins or midget pickles. Bread and butter pickles fall somewhere in between dill and sweet, and have a pleasant slightly tangy and slightly sweet flavor that appeals to most everyone, including kids!
The beauty of this fried pickles recipe is how the sweet and tangy flavor of the pickle chips combine perfectly with the tangy and mildly spicy dipping sauce. However, though I personally
recommend making these fried pickles using bread and butter pickle chips, if you are devoted fan of dill pickles, by all means, feel free to make these fried pickles using dill pickle chips!
If you're looking for easy appetizers for parties or simply a fun snack for all ages, this fried pickle recipe is right up your alley! All you need is one or two jars of bread and butter pickle chips, some yellow cornmeal and a few spices, and you're good to go! Simply coat the pickle chips with the seasoned cornmeal mixture, then lower the coated pickle chips into some hot oil (you can use a deep fryer or heavy saucepan) and fry them for 1 or 2 minutes until they're golden brown and crispy. These fried pickles taste great with or without the dipping sauce, though the dipping sauce really completes this appetizer by giving it the perfect combination of flavors. Spice fans can add a little more "kick" to the dipping sauce, simply by stirring in one additional teaspoon of Asian chili paste at a time, taste-testing after each addition until you reach the desired spice level. You may already have a favorite brand of bread and butter pickle chips you prefer. If you're new to bread and butter pickles, however, I recommended pickle chips as large and thick as possible, with the least amount of seeds (when comparing different brands). I highly recommend Bubbies brand bread and butter pickle chips if you can find them, though any other brand will certainly do!
The beauty of this fried pickles recipe is how the sweet and tangy flavor of the pickle chips combine perfectly with the tangy and mildly spicy dipping sauce. However, though I personally
If you're looking for easy appetizers for parties or simply a fun snack for all ages, this fried pickle recipe is right up your alley! All you need is one or two jars of bread and butter pickle chips, some yellow cornmeal and a few spices, and you're good to go! Simply coat the pickle chips with the seasoned cornmeal mixture, then lower the coated pickle chips into some hot oil (you can use a deep fryer or heavy saucepan) and fry them for 1 or 2 minutes until they're golden brown and crispy. These fried pickles taste great with or without the dipping sauce, though the dipping sauce really completes this appetizer by giving it the perfect combination of flavors. Spice fans can add a little more "kick" to the dipping sauce, simply by stirring in one additional teaspoon of Asian chili paste at a time, taste-testing after each addition until you reach the desired spice level. You may already have a favorite brand of bread and butter pickle chips you prefer. If you're new to bread and butter pickles, however, I recommended pickle chips as large and thick as possible, with the least amount of seeds (when comparing different brands). I highly recommend Bubbies brand bread and butter pickle chips if you can find them, though any other brand will certainly do!
Recipe▼
Ingredients
- Tangy Asian Dipping Sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1-2 teaspoons Asian chili paste (such as Sambal brand), or more as desired
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon peeled and zested ginger root
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 clove garlic, zested
- salt and pepper to taste (optional)
- Fried Pickle Chips
- 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 33 oz. jar (or 2 16-oz. jars) bread and butter pickles (the thicker and larger, the better)
- vegetable or peanut oil (for frying pickles)
Directions
Tangy Asian Dipping Sauce
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Pour into a serving bowl and set aside while preparing fried pickle chips.
Fried Pickle Chips
Heat about 2 inches (deep) of oil in a deep fryer or heavy saucepan to 375°F. While oil is heating, prepare pickle chips for frying as follows:
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together cornmeal, seafood seasoning, salt and cayenne pepper. Scoop a few pickle chips at a time from the pickle jar and place into the cornmeal mixture, trying to avoid scooping extra unnecessary liquid from the pickle jar. Thoroughly coat each pickle chip with the cornmeal mixture, then using a slotted spoon or other slotted utensil, place pickles one-at-a-time into hot oil (transferring a few pickles all at once might cause them to stick together). Fry for 1-2 minutes or until pickle chips turn golden brown and crispy. Serve with a bowl of the Tangy Asian Dipping Sauce.
