The Great Fried Pickle Experiment

Yup, fried pickles. Having been mildly dissatisfied with the chile relleno batter I decided to experiment with novel batters. With green chile supply low, I decided to use something similar in weight and moisture....pickles! Having already used an all egg batter for the rellenos I wanted a bit more structure so I decided on the following four trials: unsweetened pancake batter, pancake/egg batter mix, tempura batter and tempura with panko for structure. While both tempura batters resulted in a nice crust, their texture may have been better suited for other flavors. I chose the pancake/egg mix for the rellenos and the pancake batter for the pickles. Surprisingly, the pickles which are commonly found in southern U.S. bars as appetizers, are nice when dipped in ranch. Then again, a fried sock would taste good dipped in ranch as well.