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What's Better Than Fried Pickles? These Fried Pickles Dipped in Bacon-Ranch
It's hard to think of a food that isn't made better once battered and fried. It's true of chicken, of fish, of okra, and even Oreos. Whoever first battered and deep-fried sliced pickles was almost certainly operating under the same ironclad logic.
I still remember the first time I tasted the delicacy, even though it was at least 20 years ago: I was sitting outside with my family at a restaurant somewhere on the Gulf Coast in Alabama on the way from Louisiana to Perdido Key, Florida, and—as a family of crispy-food fans and pickle lovers—we just had to order fried pickles when we spotted them on the menu.
I can't tell you the name of the restaurant, but I can describe every last detail of those juicy, tart, and salty pickle slices. The coating was crisp and well seasoned—perfect for eating as-is, and even better dipped in the ranch dressing that was served on the side. It's hard to top my memory of those pickles—honestly, it's hard to top anything served with ocean breezes and fortified by years of nostalgia—but our Birmingham-based colleague Julia Levy's fried pickles that we're sharing the recipe for here are a very close second (I'm actually pretty sure hers are objectively superior to the ones from my family trip, but the Proustian power of my memory clouds my judgement).
"What makes fried pickles so special is the contrasting textures; they are super crispy and crunchy on the outside but juicy, soft, and tangy on the inside," Julia says. "Fried foods always want something acidic to balance out the oiliness, but fried pickles don’t need that—it’s a two-in-one, a two-fer, a win/win, a..dare I say, perfect food? That might be a bit hyperbolic, but they are wonderful."
How to Make Perfectly Crispy Fried Pickles
Unlike foods like shrimp and chicken that can get woefully dried out when improperly fried, pickles are pretty much impossible to desiccate. A fragile coating that falls off during frying or on the way to your mouth is a much bigger concern with pickles, since their vinegary brine is too thin to form a good foundation for a breaded coating. Much better is viscous buttermilk, which coats and clings to the pickle slices and gives the dry ingredients something to really cling onto and soak into. The key, though, is to pat the pickle slices dry before dipping in the buttermilk, otherwise the pickle brine will thin the buttermilk, reducing its viscosity and undermining its ability to form a strong coating that will stay put.
After their dip in buttermilk, the slices are coated in a mixture that includes finely ground cornmeal (be sure not to use coarse cornmeal, which is too chunky for this batter), along with all-purpose flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and just a bit of salt—we want the batter to be well seasoned, but not overly salty since the pickles themselves are already quite salty. Once they're battered, into the hot oil they go until the cornmeal batter is browned and crispy.
The oil is at the relatively high temperature of 375°F—hot even by deep-frying standards. That's because the only real goal here is crisping and browning the coating, since the pickle slices themselves don't actually need to be cooked through. A lower temperature and longer frying time would just drag the process out, possibly sacrificing some of the pickle's juicy bite.
Life Is Better With Bacon-Ranch Dipping Sauce
Fried pickles taste good on their own, but they're even better with a creamy dipping sauce. You can use store-bought or homemade plain ranch dressing or rémoulade, but if you're a bacon eater I strongly encourage you to try Julia's homemade bacon-ranch, which includes cooked bacon bits along with the bacon drippings for extra flavor. It also gets tartness from some of the brine from the jar of pickles, as well as a welcome dose of fresh flavor from dill and chives. It's also good with other fried foods, such as fried green tomatoes and fried chicken, on burgers, or pretty much anywhere else you'd use regular ranch.
Now when I dream about fried pickles, this recipe is the vision that floats to the top of my mind, right after those long-ago ones on the Gulf. Come to think of it, these fried pickles would be damn delicious alongside this equally killer fried pickle–inspired dip. A person can dream.
For the Bacon-Ranch: In a large cast iron skillet set over medium heat, cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel–lined plate; reserve drippings.
In a medium bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle brine, dill, chives, garlic, and black pepper. Fold in cooked bacon and 1 1/2 teaspoons of reserved drippings. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Wipe skillet clean.
Arrange drained pickle slices on a large paper towel–lined plate; pat dry. In a wide, shallow bowl, combine buttermilk and black pepper. Add pickles, stirring to evenly coat with buttermilk mixture.
Line a 13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment or wax paper; set aside. In another wide, shallow bowl, whisk cornmeal, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, and salt to combine. Working with several pickle slices at a time, toss to evenly coat pickle slices with cornmeal mixture. Place dredged pickles on prepared lined baking sheet.
Line another 13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet with paper towels; set aside. Fill the same cast iron skillet with 3/4-inch of oil and heat over medium-high until oil registers 375ºF (190ºC) on an instant-read thermometer. Working in batches of about 8, carefully add pickles, sliding them in from as close to the oil’s surface as possible to minimize splashing. Fry pickles, using a spider skimmer or slotted spoon to turn them occasionally, until golden brown and crisp about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Season with salt and serve with bacon ranch.
Special Equipment
Large cast iron skillet, two 13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheets, instant-read thermometer, spider skimmer or slotted spoon
Notes
If your preferred brand of pickles isn't sold in slices, you can slice whole pickles into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Bacon-ranch can be prepared up to 1 week ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Pickles can be breaded and frozen for up to 3 months: Prepare through step 4, and after breading and arranging on a parchment- or wax paper–lined baking sheet, freeze until firm, then transfer to a zip-top bag or airtight container. Cook from frozen according to the recipe directions, adding up to 2 minutes if necessary.
Fried pickles are best eaten immediately but leftovers may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat in an air fryer: Place on air fryer rack and reheat at 350ºF (175ºC) until warmed through. To reheat in the oven: Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Place fried pickles on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and reheat until warmed through, about 6 minutes.
