During my college days, my favorite memory of “honkey-tonking” in downtown Nashville included going to Robert’s Western World to listen to cover bands and split a pitcher of beer and a basket of fried pickles with my friends. With the ranch dipping sauce, those fried pickles were the epitome of salty, fatty goodness.
Now that I care more about what I put into my body, I have to turn down the offer to split a basket of fried pickles. I do miss the flavors, though, so I decided to make a more healthful version of this pub snack.
Important note: To reduce the amount of sodium in the pickles, I rinsed them with water and patted them dry with paper towels. They are still fairly high in sodium, so if you have high blood pressure or are on a salt-restricted diet, do not eat pickles. Instead, use this recipe with zucchini spears/slices — also delicious!
I worked hard on the batter recipe because many oven-fried batters consist of corn meal, which is inflammatory. To avoid corn, buttermilk, and eggs, I used almond meal, water, and flax. After a couple of recipe fails, I finally figured out a way to keep the batter on the pickle (and it’s so good, it actually tastes fried!).
Oven Fried Pickles
Ingredients:
- 2 T. milled flax
- 1/2 cup water or nondairy milk
- 1/4 cup fine almond meal (I used Bob’s Red Mill, but you can also make your own with a food processor.)
- 1/4 t. sea salt
- Dash of ground black pepper
- 1/2 t. dried parsley
- 1 t. nutritional yeast
- 10 dill sandwich pickles (OR zucchini slices), rinsed and patted with a paper towel (helps batter stick to pickle)
- 1-2 T. tapioca starch, corn starch (if not avoiding corn), or flour
Directions:
- Combine the flax and water/milk in a small bowl and allow to sit for about 5 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle generously with starch/flour. This is key to keeping the batter on the bottom side of the pickle when you flip halfway through cooking.
- Return to the bowl with the flax and add the almond meal, salt, pepper, parsley, and nutritional yeast. Stir well to combine.
- Dredge pickles in batter, leaving a thin layer of batter on each side. You may need to scrape some of the batter off with the edge of a spoon or knife. The thicker the batter, the longer it will need to cook to get crispy. Place battered slices on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake pickles at 425 for 15 minutes, flip (carefully!), then bake for 10-15 more minutes until batter is golden and crispy.
- Serve with avocado ranch dip!
Flax and almond meal batter
Baked until golden and crispy
Shown with my avocado ranch dip
Try not to eat them all yourself (like I did :-/)!
[…] recipe makes an excellent dip for fresh veggies (kid friendly!), homemade potato chips, and my oven fried pickles! You can also add water gradually to thin it and turn it into a salad dressing. I guarantee that if […]