Add Ranch Seasoning to the Toasted Pickles Batter
Fried brine is a fatty, saltier, hot brine. This is a concept that shouldn’t work, but it does. Many agree that fried pickles taste good.
The best fried pickles can be found at mid-range chain restaurants and county fairs – establishments that are not afraid of fat and salt. Roasted pickles are best when the cooks don’t take themselves too seriously, and I am, as you might have guessed, one of those roasted pickles.
I originally intended to make air-fried pickles, but have since ditched the concept because air-fried pickles suck. (Pickles should be spread out in a deep fryer basket in one well-spaced layer, and even then they won’t brown evenly or well.) But in the process of developing a recipe that will never be, I discovered from this powdered ranch seasoning – I’m talking about Hidden -Valley – makes an excellent dough for fried pickles.
This should come as no surprise. Ranch dressings and fried pickles run in the same circles – they are both highly seasoned and sometimes dismissive of more refined people. A spicy umami made from dehydrated buttermilk and MSG pairs exceptionally well with the marinade slice, giving it a flavor reminiscent of the dill chips on a cheeseburger. Plus, the small dehydrated green chunks look nice when hung in golden brown dough.
One one-ounce bag of ranch dressing mix is all it takes to turn a cup of flour into the perfect pickle dough. Just stir, dip and fry. To make your ranch fried pickles you will need:
- Vegetable oil
- Pickles – preferably cheap, but rather thick, hamburger-style slices.
- 1 cup flour
- 1 ounce ranch dressing mix
- 1 egg, beaten
Add a couple of inches of oil to a high-walled stainless steel skillet or Dutch oven. Set the fire to high. Combine flour and ranch seasoning and set aside. Decide how many pickles you want to eat and blot that amount on paper towels, then dip them in an egg and toss in the batter to cover.
Let the oil heat to 365 ℉ and saute the pickles for a few minutes on each side, until they are golden brown. Remove the pickles from the oil and drain onto paper towels. Serve with ranch dipping sauce. Repeat until you have as many roasted pickles as you like. (One batch of dough should be sufficient for at least 20, but I have not fully verified its limits yet.)