Fried Pickles

Ingredients

• peanut oil for frying
• 2 cups hamburger dill chip pickles drained
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 teaspoon creole seasoning
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon reserved pickle juice
• ranch dressing for dipping

Instructions

1. Add oil to a deep fryer or a Dutch oven with 3 inches of oil up the side of the pan. Heat the oil to 350°F.
2. Place paper towels on a sheet tray. Place the pickles on the paper towels, not touching. Take more paper towels or a clean kitchen towel and press out as much of the liquid from the pickles as you can. They need to be dry.
3. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and creole seasoning. Add the water and pickle juice, stir to combine until smooth.
4. Once the oil is up to temp, add handfuls of the dried pickles to the batter. Using a slotted spoon or your hands, separate the pickles making sure they are not sticking.
5. Carefully drop them into the hot oil one at a time. If using a deep fryer, I like to shake the basket around to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom.
6. Fry until crispy and lightly golden brown, about 4 minutes. Stir them around every so often to make sure they are browning evenly.
7. Take the fried pickles and place them on a paper-towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil. Immediately place the pickles onto a wire rack over a sheet tray to catch any drips.
8. Repeat with the remaining pickles. Serve with ranch for dipping