Recipes

Fried Cucumbers with Sour Cream Dipping Sauce

Skip the pickling and dunk these peppery, crispy, cukes into a green goddess-style dip.

  • Serves

    serves 8-12

  • Cook

    30 minutes

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAOLA + MURRAY; FOOD STYLING BY BARRETT WASHBURNE; PROP STYLING BY CARLA GONZALEZ-HART

By SAVEUR Editors


Published on April 15, 2013

A cool, green goddess-style dip tempers the heat from the peppery cornmeal crust.

Ingredients

For the dipping sauce:

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 tbsp. grated yellow onion
  • 2 tbsp. milk
  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped chives
  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped tarragon
  • 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 2 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste with 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the cucumbers:

  • Vegetable oil
  • 2 cups cornmeal
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp. baking powder
  • 1 tbsp. celery salt
  • 1½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1½ tsp. garlic powder
  • 1½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1½ tsp. onion powder
  • 1½ tsp. sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1½ lb. Kirby cucumbers, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 3 by ½-in. sticks

Instructions

Step 1

Make the sauce: In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, onion, milk, chives, parsley, tarragon, lemon juice, garlic, onion, and salt and black pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate.

Step 2

Attach a deep-fry thermometer to a skillet or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat and pour in oil to a depth of 2 inches. While the oil heats, in a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, celery salt, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne. Add the cucumbers and toss to coat, shaking off any excess. When the temperature reads 375°F, fry the cucumbers in batches, turning once or twice, until crisp and golden brown, about 2 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried cucumbers to a paper-towel-lined plate. Serve hot with the reserved dipping sauce.

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