Happy National Pickle Day! 

National Pickle Day has been celebrated since 1949, thanks to encouragement from the Pickle Packers Association, but pickles have been around for thousands of years--Julius Caesar reportedly fed pickles to his troops, to help give them strength; and Cleopatra credited her good looks to her consumption of pickles. And though you can pickle anything--onions, beets, peppers, eggs, etc.--most people think of cucumbers when they think of a pickle.

Moral of the story: eat your pickles, folks. Here's a particularly delicious (read: deep-fried) way to do that, courtesy of  Sarasota's Rusty Bucket. Enjoy!

Deep-Fried Pickles

Courtesy of Rusty Bucket

Beer Batter

Ingredients: 

1 lb. Drakes Mix (or similar fry mix)

1 (16 oz.) Bud Light

½ tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning 

Mix beer and seasoning together. Add Drakes Mix and whisk until very well incorporated. 

Cilantro Ranch Dressing

½ packet Hidden Valley Ranch

4 cups mayonnaise 

1 cup buttermilk

2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped 

Chop cilantro and set aside. Mix together all other ingredients. Add cilantro and mix thoroughly.  

Fried Pickles

6 pickle spears, marinated in milk

3 oz. cornstarch 

6 oz. beer batter (recipe above)

2 oz. cilantro ranch dressing (recipe above)

Chopped parsley, for garnish

Marinate pickles in milk. Dredge pickles in cornstarch to lightly coat, be sure to knock off excess. Coat with beer batter and fry in a pan using a neutral oil until golden brown. (You should be able to see the green of the pickle through the batter.) Place pickles in a paper-lined wooden bowl and serve cilantro-ranch dressing. Garnish with chopped parsley.