It’s hard to say where fried pickles got started. Someone probably had some leftover fry batter and decided to toss some pickles in the fryer just to see what they’d taste like. This is pretty common in the South. Most fry batters can be used on all sorts of foods ranging from fish to broccoli.
The first commercial fried pickles were served by Bernell “Fatman” Austin in Atkins, Arkansas at the Duchess Drive In. This was very fitting since his little pink restaurant was right across from the Atkins Pickle Plant. This was back in the early 1960s.
The government decided to reroute the road down in Atkins, so the Fatman relocated closer to the highway and continued to sell his famous fried pickles from his new location. A couple of weeks after Fatman moved, a tractor trailer ran into the old pink building. Down here, that's known as a close call.
The Fatman passed away in 1999, but his family still serves up his classic fried pickles at the annual community PickleFest. They serve about 2500 portions of fried dill pickles every year, and the money is donated for scholarships and charity.
There are many variations of the fried pickle, but the best ones have the pickles sliced lengthwise, thickly battered, deep fried and served with lots of paper towels. You can see an example at YouTube and can make your own as follows:
Fried Dill Pickles Recipe
Wet Dippings
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup plain flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp. Tabasco sauce
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp seasoning salt
Directions:
- Beat eggs in a small bowl with a fork.
- Add flour and mix.
- Pour in milk and seasonings and mix.
- Set the wet drippings aside.
Note: For fried pickles with a little less zip, reduce the Tabasco sauce and cayenne pepper or leave those out.
Dry Dippings
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Directions:
- Mix together all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Stir until the dry ingredients are well mixed.
- Set the dry dippings aside. Do not mix them with the wet dippings.
Dip and Fry
- 1 quart dill pickles (sliced lengthwise)
- Wet dippings
- Dry dippings
Directions:
- Drain liquid off dill pickles and pat dry with paper towels.
- Dip pickles one by one in wet dippings. Shake lightly.
- Dip in dry dippings and roll around until well covered. Shake lightly.
- Deep fry like French fries in oil or hot Crisco at 350 degrees F until golden brown.
- Drain on paper towels.
- Serve plain or with Ranch dressing or ketchup.
Note: Rumor has it (and there are lots of rumors down South) that Elvis Presley loved fried dill pickles.
While you're thinking pickles, check out The Pickle Test at YouTube. You'll get a laugh out of it.
Cyndi Allison - Southern born and fed, Cyndi Allison is a college lecturer and newspaper advisor as well as being a freelance writer. She writes on ...
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