Fried Pickles with a Yogurt-Dill Dip

When we first saw fried pickles on the menu of our local Mexican restaurant, Poco's, we thought they sounded disgusting. But about a year later we finally decided to just try them and WOW, were we glad we did! They are the most unusual things, but surprisingly very tasty. They are a bit addictive too.. we'd find ourselves talking about going to Poco's just to get the pickles.

We decided to stay in tonight so that gave me some extra time to cook. I found a recipe for fried pickles on the Food Network Website and then found this recipe for a yogurt-dill dip which is what Poco's serves them with.

I followed the dip recipe almost exactly:

• 1 cup yogurt, low-fat strained (Greek-style) I used plain lowfat yogurt
• 1 clove garlic (small, minced)
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill (chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel (finely grated)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Chill.

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I did make some changes to the pickle recipe noted below:

Ingredients

• 1 pint sliced dill pickles, undrained (I used fresh pickles from the deli)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (I didn't use this)
• 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons ground red pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Vegetable oil

Directions

• Drain pickles, reserving 2/3-cup pickle juice. Press pickles between paper towels. (I didn't need to do this)
• Combine 2/3 cup pickle juice, egg, 1 tablespoon flour, and hot sauce. Stir well and set aside. (I only used egg and flour)
• Combine 1 1/2 cups flour with ground red pepper, garlic powder, salt, and paprika. Blend well.
• Dip pickles in egg mixture, then dredge in flour mixture.
• Fry coated pickles in 375-degree oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

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The Result....The dip was excellent and the pickles were pretty good. The flour mixture didn't stick to the pickles all that well, so next time I'll use bread crumbs and spices instead of flour.