Fried Pickles with Comeback Sauce

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Spider strainer or slotted spoon
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Sheet pan

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the comeback sauce

   Whisk together the mayonnaise, chili sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and lemon juice in a medium bowl until smooth. Taste it. This is where you make it yours. Add salt, pepper, more hot sauce if you like heat. The sauce should be tangy, a little spicy, and bold enough to stand up to that salty fried pickle. Cover and refrigerate while you fry. The flavors marry and mellow as it sits.

   Comeback sauce tastes better the next day. Make it ahead if you can. It keeps refrigerated for two weeks.
2. 2

   Dry the pickles thoroughly

   Spread your pickle chips in a single layer on paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Pat them completely dry, pressing firmly. This step is not optional. Wet pickles will spatter hot oil across your kitchen, and the coating will slide right off. You want those chips as dry as you can get them. Let them sit while you prepare the breading station.

   Drying time is your friend here. The longer they sit on towels, the better they fry. I let mine rest at least fifteen minutes.
3. 3

   Build the breading station

   Set up three shallow bowls in a row. First bowl: one cup of flour seasoned with half the Cajun seasoning, half the garlic and onion powder. Second bowl: eggs whisked with buttermilk and hot sauce until smooth and pale orange. Third bowl: remaining flour mixed with cornmeal, remaining spices, salt, and pepper. This is your assembly line. Seasoning goes in every bowl because we're building flavor in layers, not adding it at the end.

4. 4

   Heat the oil

   Pour three inches of oil into a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Clip on your thermometer and heat over medium-high until it reaches 375 degrees. This temperature is critical. Too cool and the pickles absorb oil and turn greasy. Too hot and the coating burns before the inside heats through. At 375, the coating sets instantly, sealing the pickle inside a crispy shell.

   Peanut oil has a higher smoke point and gives the cleanest flavor. Vegetable oil works fine if that's what you have.
5. 5

   Bread the pickles

   Working in batches, dredge pickle chips in seasoned flour, shaking off excess. Dip into buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip off. Finally, press into the cornmeal mixture, coating all surfaces completely. The cornmeal is what gives you that shatteringly crisp texture. Set breaded pickles on a wire rack while you finish the batch. Do not stack them or the coating gets soggy where they touch.

6. 6

   Fry until golden

   Carefully lower eight to ten breaded pickles into the hot oil using a spider or slotted spoon. Do not crowd the pot. Overcrowding drops the oil temperature and steams rather than fries. The pickles should immediately sizzle and bubble vigorously. Fry for two to three minutes, turning once halfway through, until deep golden brown on both sides. The color tells you everything: pale means underdone, dark brown means bitter.

7. 7

   Drain and season immediately

   Transfer fried pickles to a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Season with a light sprinkle of kosher salt while they're still glistening with oil. The salt sticks better now than it will in thirty seconds. Let the oil return to 375 degrees between batches. This patience is what separates good fried food from great fried food.

8. 8

   Serve hot and proud

   Pile the fried pickles on a platter while they're still warm and crackling. Set the bowl of comeback sauce in the center for dunking. These are best within ten minutes of frying, when the coating is still audibly crisp and the pickle inside is warm and tangy. Put them out and watch them disappear.

Chef Tips

• •Use crinkle-cut pickle chips if you can find them. The ridges hold more breading and give you more surface area for crunch.
• •Don't skip the buttermilk soak. The acidity tenderizes and the thickness helps the cornmeal coating stick like it means it.
• •Your oil temperature will drop when you add pickles. That's fine if you're frying in small batches. It's a problem if you crowd the pot.
• •Comeback sauce is better after sitting overnight. Make it the day before if you're planning ahead.
• •If your pickles are extra sour, the contrast with the slightly sweet comeback sauce is perfect. Lean into it.

Advance Preparation

• •Comeback sauce improves with time. Make it up to two weeks ahead and store refrigerated.
• •Pickles can be breaded up to two hours before frying. Keep them on a rack in the refrigerator, uncovered, so the coating sets.
• •Fried pickles do not hold well. They must be served within fifteen minutes of frying for proper crunch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)