Name: Fried Pickles
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Makes 16 pickles
Ingredients: 1/2 cup cornmeal; 4 kosher dill pickles, quartered lengthwise, patted dry with paper towels; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 cup cornstarch; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 (12-ounce) bottle cold beer; 3 quarts peanut or vegetable oil

Why This Recipe Works

Instead of buying precut pickle spears for this Fried Pickles recipe, we went with firmer whole kosher dill pickles and sliced them ourselves. When it came to selecting the perfect beer for the batter, we found that almost any style worked save for dark stouts and ales.

Before You Begin

With the exception of dark stouts and ales, any beer will work in this recipe—even nonalcoholic.

Instructions

Place cornmeal in shallow dish. Dredge pickle spears in cornmeal and transfer to plate. Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and cayenne in large bowl. Slowly whisk in beer until smooth.

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until 350 degrees. Rewhisk batter. Transfer half of pickles to batter. One at a time, remove pickles from batter (allowing excess to drip back into bowl) and fry in hot oil until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain pickles on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bring oil back to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining pickles. Serve.