Bacon-Wrapped Fried Pickle Spears

I love fried pickles, especially the spears. Chunks are also OK...but not a huge fan of the pickle chips because they tend to end up being pickle-flavored fried bread.

Today is also International Bacon Day. And there's something about bacon and pickles that just works. The German dish rouladen features both prominently, and the Cuban sandwich is only made better by the addition of bacon in my opinion.

So I thought I'd combine the two and make bacon-wrapped fried pickle spears!

My mis en place:

I started by draining the pickle spears, patting them dry with paper towels, and wrapping precooked bacon around each spear.

I then made a beer and egg wash with 1 cup Guinness and 1 egg beaten well, and a flour dredge made of 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup cornmeal, 1 tsp Tony Chachere's seasoning, and 1/4 tsp chipotle chile powder. I dropped each pickle spear into the wash, then dredged in flour thoroughly.

On the stove I had about 2" of oil heated on medium and dropped each spear into the oil. I cooked them for about 5 min each and then pulled them out and drained the excess oil on paper towels.

Here's the final result - I served the spears with spicy mustard. :)

Southwestern Slaw

Ingredients:
Slaw:1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
1 green pepper, julienned
1 sm or 1/2 jicama, julienned
2 carrots, shredded or julienned
2 cups shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix
1/2 cup sliced green onions

Dressing:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 Tbsp orange juice
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely minced (use more or less to taste)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin

Directions:1. Combine all vegetables in a large bowl.

2. Combine all dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk briskly until all ingredients are combined and emulsified, 1 minute.

3. Drizzle vegetables with dressing and toss to coat.

Fish Taco Salad

Ingredients: 2 corn tortillas, sliced into 1/2" x 2" strips
8 oz fish, cooked as desired.
1/2 cup "white sauce" (quick version for full recipe below)
2 cups shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix
4 cups mixed greens or shredded lettuce, any variety
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup diced tomato, optional
1/2 cup cheese, cheddar, Jack, or cotija, optional

Directions: 
1. Toss the tortilla strips with 1 tsp olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Place in single layer on shallow pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until golden and crispy. Remove and let cool.
2. Flake or dice the fish.
3. Into bowls layer the lettuce, the cabbage, the fish, and if using, the tomatoes and/or cheese. Top with the tortilla strips.
4. Drizzle each bowl with the white sauce and sprinkle with cilantro.

White sauce: 1 cup plain yogurt. Alternate: substitute 1/4 cup mayonnaise or sour cream for 1/4 of the yogurt.
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1-2 tbsp cilantro (optional)
Mix all ingredients until smooth and refrigerate until use.

Note: For the fish I usually use baked or grilled cod. Any kind of fish works reasonably well for this dish. Also, fish tacos are often made with fried fish. This can certainly be made with fried fish (e.g. Gorton's or Van de Camp) or "popcorn" fish as well, though it's not nearly as healthy.