Fried Pickles with a Creole Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• For the pickles:
• 1 [32] oz jar dill pickle chips, drain well and pat dry
• 2 cup self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup plain yellow cornmeal
• 1 Tbsp Creole/Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• peanut or vegetable oil for frying
• For the Creole dipping sauce:
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup chili sauce
• 2 green onion, whites only
• 1 [4] oz jar roasted red pepper, well drained and pat dry
• 2 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp Creole/Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 tsp wasabi paste or prepared horseradish [more or less to your taste]

Steps

1. Pickles:
2. Thoroughly drain and pat dry the pickles. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornmeal, Creole seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder and ground cumin.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Toss the pickle chips with 1/4 cup of the dry seasoned flour/cornmeal mixture.
4. Heat 5-inches of oil in a heavy bottomed pot to 350°F. Dip the flour coated pickle slices in the buttermilk egg wash then into the dry coating. Drop into the oil separately. Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden on both sides, gently turning as needed. Repeat cooking in batches. Maintain the oil temperature around 350-360°F for best the results.
5. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Seasoning lightly with salt or additional Creole seasoning immediately. Serve with the Creole dipping sauce on the side. Yield: 8-10 servings
6. Sauce:
7. Place all of the ingredients into a blender and pulse until combined. Chill thoroughly for at least 2 hours prior to serving.
8. Yield: approximately 1 1/2 cup