Spicy Tornado Pickles

I'm not a huge fan of spicy things. Quite the opposite... Sue, on the other hand, enjoys some heat in her food, and her daughter and our nephews LOVE spicy. These pickles are definitely for people who like hot BUT can very easily be modified for wimps like myself. :)

These look so impressive on the table (something about spiralized food just looks so cool) and, other than the deep frying, are quick and easy. (Not that deep frying is complicated, it just makes me nervous!) I imagine you could bake these but they just wouldn't be the same. 

Have pickle fans in your house? Give these a go! You'll be everyone's favorite. 

Spicy Tornado Pickles

Ingredients

12 pickles

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1 - 2 cups crushed spicy Dorito tortilla chips (such as the flaming hot)

Sauces

ranch dressing

sriracha

Oil for deep frying

Directions

Place pickles on wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for a few hours. Take a knife and carefully cut around the pickles on a slight angle from top to bottom - the skewer will prevent the knife from going all the way through the pickles. Carefully (and very gently) slightly pull the pickles apart so they spread down the skewer. Don't pull too hard or you will break the pickle apart. 

Place on paper towel to slightly dry the pickles.

Whisk eggs in a shallow bowl and set aside. Place flour in another shallow bowl and set aside. Lastly, placed crushed tortilla crumbs in another shallow bowl and set aside. 

Take one pickle skewer at a time - first dip it in the beaten egg being sure to get the egg in all the crevices. Then dip it in the flour being sure to thoroughly coat. Dip it back in the egg again and then roll in the tortilla crumbs. Use your hands to make sure the crumbs get into all the cracks. FYI - the smaller the crumbs the better they will coat the pickle. 

Repeat until all the pickles are coated. 

Heat your oil in a large pot to 350 degrees (I find a thermometer works best for this). 

Carefully place one or two pickles (depending on the size of your pot) into the oil and cook for 1 minute. turn pickle over and cook another minute. Coating should be golden and crispy. Remove from oil and place on paper towel to drain for a minute. 

When all of your pickles are cooked, place them on a serving platter.

You can serve them just like this with dipping sauce on the side or....

You can drizzle them with the ranch and sriracha and make them look all purdy.

If you are a fan of crunchy and spicy then *voila* here is your new favorite appy/snack. 

Myself, a not-so-spicy kinda gal, I use regular or cheesy Doritos crumbs to coat mine and don't drizzle any sriracha on top. Same delicious crunch without the heat. :)