Fried Cucumbers with Sour Cream Dipping Sauce
Sour cream and fines herbes make a great sauce for cooling down a spicy snack like our fried cucumbers. Get the recipe for Fried Cucumbers with Sour Cream Dipping Sauce ». Maxime Iattoni
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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 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

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