This appetizer plays with cucumber’s crunchy appeal by coating slices with a spiced cornmeal crust and frying them up until piping hot; a cool green goddess-style dip squelches the heat.
Fried Cucumbers with Sour Cream Dipping Sauce
This appetizer plays with cucumber's crunchy appeal by coating slices with a spiced cornmeal crust and frying them up until piping hot; a cool green goddess-style dip squelches the heat.
Yield: serves 8-12
For the Dipping Sauce
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp. milk
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. minced chives
- 1 tbsp. minced parsley
- 1 tbsp. minced tarragon
- 2 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste with 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1⁄4 small yellow onion, grated, juice reserved
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Cucumbers
- 2 cups cornmeal
- 1 1⁄2 cups flour
- 2 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tbsp. celery salt
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. sweet paprika
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 1 1⁄2 lb. cucumbers, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 3″ x ½” sticks
Instructions
- For the sauce, stir together sour cream, milk, juice, chives, parsley, tarragon, garlic paste, onion with juices, and salt and pepper in a bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Pour oil to a depth of 2″ in a 6-qt. Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 375°. Whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, celery salt, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne in a large bowl. Working in batches, add cucumber slices to cornmeal mixture and toss evenly to coat; transfer to oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer slices to a wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain. Serve hot with dipping sauce.