Some of you may be saying to yourselves, “what on earth is she thinking? She wants me to do what? Fry what?” But I ask you to hear me out on this one. They probably do sound a little odd to those of you that have never thought of frying a pickle and I’ll admit that I was skeptical at first too. But let me tell you with their crispy, salty outside and tangy inside these little devils are down right addictive.

The Fried Green Tomatoes and Buttermilk Fried Chicken that I have made recently would indicate that I am on a bit of a southern food kick.  Which is kind of funny because I am a born and bred west-coaster. However, that does not mean that I don’t appreciate good classic comfort food and that is exactly how I view many southern dishes. So I figured why not try to tackle another classic? So I present to you my version of  the classic New Orleans appetizer, Shrimp Remoulade.

“I miss the smell of coffee, and bacon fryin’. Oh and what I wouldn’t give for a plate of fried green tomatoes like we used to have at the cafe.” OK so I have never had fried green tomatoes at a cafe, that line is actually from my absolute favorite movie of all time, Fried Green Tomatoes.  From the first time I saw it, I fell in the love with the story of Idgie and Ruth, their friendship and the little make-believe town of Whistle Stop, Alabama.  Naturally, I also happen to love the dish that is the story’s namesake so when my friend Champ offered to give me some green tomatoes I knew exactly what I was going to do with them. And it involved bacon ranch dip. Yes I said bacon ranch.

I have always been a little crazy about the crispy, succulent goodness of fried chicken.  Ryan on the other hand, is not a fan. Crazy right? I would always throw it in there as an option for dinner and he would nix it right away. So this time I upped the ante and promised creamy pan gravy along side.  That did the trick.

I don’t make a lot of southern food, and have not had much experience with grits. However, I have heard a lot about shrimp and grits. The people who talk about it talk as if they are describing the best meal they ever had. Finally, after an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to give it a try. I figured that you can’t go wrong with cheesy grits, topped with shrimp in a creamy sauce. I did also take some liberties here and there and added some spicy Cajun seasoning to the mix and with one bite realized what all of the hub-bub was about.