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Beer-Battered Cucumber Rings with Honey-Key Lime Ranch Dipping Sauce

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cucumber rings 6

 

I am thrilled to pieces and am actually quite SHOCKED, or should I say…STILL in shock, at how much my hubby LOVED these!! As you know, my hubby practically has to be forced-fed veggies.

Not easy to do, either. He’s 6′ and I’m 5′ 1 1/2″. (Yes, when you’re short, just as when you were a child, that 1/2″ means a LOT.)

But it’s really difficult for a shortie like me to actually toss veggies into his mouth and not bounce them off of his nose…or chin…or hit him in the eye. On accident. 😉 I’m a really bad shot. 😉 And our cat just bats around the misses that land all over the kitchen floor. *sigh*. 😉

But seriously, not kidding now, having him enjoy this so much made me extremely happy needless to say! My mom used to make “fried cucumber slices” when we were kids, but she simply peeled them, dredged them in seasoned flour that was just salt and pepper, then fried them in just a little butter and/or oil.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I LOVED them and as the odd kid I was, loved to dip those deep golden, sweet slices into – – ketchup. Ketchup seemed to be the condiment of choice when we were kids in the 60’s and ’70’s, though!! EVERYTHING went with ketchup! 😀 What did we know? 😉 We played with rocks and sticks and were perfectly happy. 😉 

 

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Welp, I had one last cucumber to use that my neighbors had given me from their garden, and decided to take another stroll down memory lane straight to the backyard of my childhood! 

What to do with that last cuke? My first thought? Fry it! 😀 But I didn’t want to do it the same way as my mom did, I wanted to really kick it up a little and go with my beer batter. But even THAT didn’t sound special enough, so I thought that the cool taste of cucumbers would be really nice with a Ranch flavor! So Ranch it was.

I’ve been using a LOT of Ranch lately.  

 

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And today was going to be no different. 😉 I not only added it to the batter, but made a nice kicked-up Ranch sauce for dipping as well! Because I’m greedy like that. 😉 

So after peeling the cuke, I decided that I really didn’t want the seeds and “goop” on the inside, and simply used my 1 1/2″ biscuit cutter to cut out the centers and make rings! 😀 I used a cake decorating tip to cut out the smaller slices near the ends, which ended up working out very nicely! 😀  

 

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And so did the simple batter!! Just be sure to pat the cuke slices dry and coat them WELL. Then they’ll fry up beautifully!! 😀 

 

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As you can see above, they aren’t quite done. If you remove them at this point they could be really soggy, so make sure you get a nice color before removing so that they have a delicately crunchy coating!   

 

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And here they are all done and just gorgeous! I love the beautiful, rich, deep golden brown colors that they take on! A very tasty, lightly crunchy batter on the outside, and a tender sweet cucumber ring on the inside! And the dipping sauce was the perfect accompaniment! Ranch salad dressing with a touch of sweetness from the honey, a nice cool tanginess from the Key Lime juice, with a little added fresh-minced flat leaf parsley from my herb garden!  

Plated and garnished with a sprig more of flat leaf parsley, and it sure makes for a pretty presentation, doesn’t it? 😀 Don’t you want to just reach in and grab one? 😀 SO easy to make, MINIMAL ingredients that you’re likely to already have on hand, so what are you waiting for? Add this as a new appetizer or side dish for your next party or meal for the fam soon!  😀 ONE way to get picky eaters to enjoy yet another vegetable, right?! 😉 😀 

I do hope that you make these soon! My hubby liked them just as much, if not even BETTER, than my Fried Zucchini, which to me is hard to believe!  BOTH were inhaled and fully enjoyed, so that’s all that matters to me! 😉

So enjoy all, and I’ll see you soon! 😀 ~Kelly 

 

Beer-Batter Cucumber Rings with Honey-Key Lime Ranch Dipping Sauce
Yield: 4-6 servings

Beer-Batter Cucumber Rings with Honey-Key Lime Ranch Dipping Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

For Dip:

  • 1/2 cup (prepared or bottled) Ranch Salad Dressing, homemade or store-bought
  • 2 tsp. bottled or fresh key lime juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp. real clover honey, I like Sue Bee
  • 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

For Batter:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 Tbl. dry Ranch Dips mix (half of a packet or homemade)
  • 1 cup beer, regular or light

Rest of Ingredients:

  • 1 large cucumber, peeled, sliced 1/3" thick, center seeds cut out (*see note)
  • vegetable oil for frying
  • flat leaf parsley for garnish if desired

Instructions

  • In small bowl, stir dip ingredients well making sure to incorporate all of the honey. Cover and chill.
  • In medium to large bowl, whisk batter ingredients. Set aside.
  • Add oil to a large frying pan to about 1 1/2" deep and start heating over medium-high heat.
  • While oil is heating, peel, slice and cut out centers of cucumber. slices *This is easily done using a 1 1/2" biscuit cutter and/or a sharp metal cake decorating tip. Place cucumber rings onto paper towel and pat dry. (*If super juicy, pat dry and just toss into a tiny bit of flour right before going into the batter so that the batter will stick well.)
  • Place a few rings into batter coating well. Check oil and turn down to medium heat when hot. Add 5-6 rings and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once or twice for even browning.
  • Remove to a paper towel-lined rack to cool. Repeat until all are fried.
  • *The main trick is to make sure that you coat the rings with a nice amount of batter. Then just fry until the batter is a nice rich color on both sides for crispiness is all there is to it!
  • Serve hot with the creamy cool dip! (Garnish bowl of dip with a sprig of flat leaf parsley if desired.)
  • Adriana

    Thursday 16th of February 2017

    OMG! They look so amazing! A great alternative to calamari a la romana! HUGs!

    Kelly

    Monday 22nd of May 2017

    Thanks, Adriana!! LOVE me some calamari, though, too! :D

    Joanne T Ferguson

    Sunday 14th of September 2014

    G'day I LOVE this idea Kelly and it is on the list! GREATLY appreciate you highlighting my badge! Pinning! Cheers! Joanne Thanks for sharing it at our Say G'day Party!

    Kelly

    Monday 15th of September 2014

    G'Day to you, too! :D Oh, I do hope you try these! This one went VIRAL! :D Couldn't believe it! Simple, but oh so goooood! :D GREAT party by you and Natasha! :D

    Marla Crews

    Thursday 11th of September 2014

    Wow! These look great. I thought they were onion rings. Have you tried this with onions or Vidalia Sweet Onions? I live where they are grown, and I bet this would be good with them!

    Kelly

    Friday 12th of September 2014

    Thanks, Marla! :D Yep, I do this batter with all kinds of things including those sweet Vidalia's! Best onions in the world!! :D

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