The other day, I harvested 40 jalapenos from my garden! Because it’s not the kind of thing most people eat raw for a snack, I was thinking about ways to put them up – or cook them. Aha! How about deep frying them in a wet batter? My beau and I set to work to come up with a recipe, and I am quite pleased with the results – a tasty, light batter that allows the softened heat through. Served with ranch dressing, this would make a great party appetizer.
FRIED JALAPENOS
- 15-20 fresh jalapenos
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup corn meal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika (optional, for color)
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- vegetable oil for frying
1. Cut jalapenos into 1/2 inch slices. (Remove the seeds if you want to tone down the heat some.)
Jalapenos sliced for frying
2. Pour vegetable oil into a frying pan so that the oil is about a half inch deep in the pan. Heat the oil on medium heat.
3. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Whisk the egg and milk together, then add to the dry ingredients. Blend well. The batter will be the consistency of cake batter.
Batter for frying
4. Drop the jalapeno slices into the batter and cover on both sides.
Jalapenos in the batter
5. Be sure the oil is hot enough before adding the battered jalapeno slices. A good way to tell if it is hot enough is to put a drop of batter into the oil. When it rises to the top, sizzling, the oil is hot enough. Keep the pan on medium heat, and add the jalapeno slices. Fry on both sides until golden brown – about a minute on each side.
Battered jalapeno slices frying
6. Remove the fried jalapenos from the pan with a slotted spoon and cool on a plate covered with paper towels (to absorb the grease).
Fried jalapenos cooling
7. Serve with ranch dressing!
Fried jalapenos and ranch dressing
NOTE: You can use this batter recipe for any fresh vegetable. Try it on summer squash, zucchini, string beans, or green tomatoes.
Enjoy!
