I have been touring the back country roads in Virginia with my friend, Janet. Although the scenery is enticing and the shopping opportunities abound, it is sometimes food that winds up in my memory book. Were you expecting a travelogue?
These little gems were listed on our lunch menu at the Riverfront Restaurant in Chilhowie, Vjrginia (near the Hungry Mother State Park – no kidding!). I had the feeling I might actually be in a foreign country.
Can you guess what these delectable little morsels are?
Clue:
They are a delicacy of the American South, served as a side dish or an appetizer.
I never heard of them before either.
You haven’t guessed yet?
These charming little medallions are Fried Pickles! Yup. You read that right.
And although they are more commonly offered in the American South, they are served at nationwide food festivals and you will find them on restaurant menus and in bars (where they are served as appetizers and side dishes). Mind you, I am not suggesting you need to be drunk to enjoy them. I’ve actually heard people say fried pickles are their “absolute favorite terrible-for-me food.”
How did I ever miss them?
If this Exotic Food Revue has piqued your interest, you will be happy to know Fried Pickles are “danged” easy to make.
Recipe for Fried Pickles
You will need:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 eggs
1 cup milk
3 cups thin dill pickle slices, drained
Oil for deep-fat frying
Ranch salad dressing, optional
Directions: In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper. In another bowl, beat eggs and milk. Blot pickles with paper towels to remove moisture. Coat pickles with flour mixture, then dip in egg mixture; coat again with flour mixture.
In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry pickles about 10 at a time, for 3 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with ranch dressing if desired. Yield: 8 servings.
Originally published as Fried Dill Pickle Coins in Taste of Home, August/September 2004
“I come from a family where gravy is considered a beverage.”
~ Erma Bombeck
Crazy. We lived in GA and never heard of them.
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Recognized immediately. But then, I do live in West Virginia!
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Only in the south would they have that! Oh wait, no, I’m from Chicago where they also have fried cauliflower, fried mushrooms, and fried zucchini. Too funny – I didn’t guess that when I saw the picture.
Nancy
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Great quote from Erma! I would never have thought of fried pickles. But once you said what they were, that is certainly what the picture is of!
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Oooooohhhh! I bet they are delish!!
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OMG, I love fried pickles!!! I just had them for the first time, in the form of fried pickle spears, a couple of weeks ago, and they were amazing. Glad you’re back Dor – I have missed you terribly :).
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Oh, I’ve been to Chilhowie! LOVE that part of the state. My ex husband was from Glade Spring, so we used to go to Saltville and Abingdon and all around when we went out that way.
But I’ve never had fried pickles….
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I have missed you too! In fact, every time I dragged out my little camera, I thought of you and our adventures here when we first met. I hope they helped Mikey’s back at the hospital. What a downer for your vacation! Now you will both need to get away once the school year is on. Wanna come to Virginia? I now know a place in town that sells fried pickles! Tell Mikey that Bill and I are thinking of him….. back trouble is nothing to sneeze at!
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Well, I wouldn’t go that far Cindy, but they are certainly addictive. 🙂
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I’m from Florida and never heard of them either. I guess even Southerners keep deep dark secrets! 🙂
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I wonder how many of you are out there Trina! So far, you are the only one “who knew.” 🙂
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I do like fried zucchini and even fried cauliflower. Maybe it’s really the “fried” part I like? Dor
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I would never have thought of fried pickles either. And they come in spears too! Just when I thought I had tried everything….. 🙂
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Well now I will have to explore for Glade Spring and Saltville. We were on our way to Abingdon this time for the Barter Theater and the Virginia Creeper. Beautiful scenery and great theater! I never had fried pickles before either.
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I knew it as soon as I saw the Photo! Nice work!
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Reblogged this on Living and Lovin and commented:
I re-blogged how to pickle now how to FRY A CUCUMBER! Enjoy your garden goodies or purchase some at a Farmer’s Market and support other who love farming and GOOD FOOD!
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Now some deep fried Oreo’s for dessert to top of the meal!
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OK, this is weird because I’m from the North and I HAVE heard of fried pickles. They are on some restaurant menus as appetizers here, but I’ve never tried them. Your post just made me want to sample some though!!
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Thanks so much for your concern :). It was the worst back pain he has ever experienced, and we were at the hospital for about 4 hours. The pain was so bad at one point that he passed out, but once they gave him a shot for the pain it started to calm down a bit. Now he is home and able to walk around again albeit rather slowly and hunched over. He heals fast though, so if I can just get him to relax all weekend he should be good as new! I told Mike that you said we should come to Virginia, and his little eyes started to sparkle. I think he liked the idea :). Say hi to Bill from us.
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Sounds like a perfect meal Eunice – Fried Pickles and Fried Oreos! And thanks for reblogging the fried pickles post! 🙂
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I couldn’t believe I actually liked those bad-for-you pickles! 🙂
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Awwwww! I hope Mikey can lie around all weekend and not try to prove he’s a he-man. Call me when you’re coming for a visit! 🙂
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Okey dokey 🙂
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Yes delish I would say! You are very welcome 🙂
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awesome would love to make those yum!
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