Let’s get one thing out of the way: I have yet to yield to the air-fryer hype; I believe in deep-frying. So for a recent co*cktail party snacks potluck, I decided, why not make the crispy, stuffed fried olives developed by associate food editor Zaynab Issa? The key to my heart is crunchy, golden, and glistening from a dip in hot oil, and these olives seemed a perfect fit.
The recipe, as I read it, hit a few crucial notes. It tapped into my later-in-life olive obsession; it had a clear co*cktail party vibe; and it was vegan, for my vegan friends. But as I got ready to cook, I realized the fatal flaw in my plan: I’d be transporting fried food in a covered container for at least half an hour, and once I arrived, who knew when we’d actually start eating. As anyone who has ever ordered fries for delivery only to get limp potatoes with not a hint of snap knows, fried things don’t travel or keep well.
And yet! My crispy fried olives were a hit. Not only that, but I took a few home, along with excess cheese from the charcuterie board (zero waste!), and the next day, after a whole night in the fridge, my olives were cold but still crispy, with no sad fried leftovers to be seen. This batter, I decided, was magic.
It’s inspired, Zaynab told me, by Korean fried chicken, which is known for its shattering crunch. A combination of all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder yields a batter that’s thick enough to coat whatever you dip it in but that fries into a light crisp. After a dunk in the batter, Zaynab’s recipe calls for a toss in salted panko, which you first crush slightly with your fingers for more textural variation. Since you don’t have to worry about keeping one hand wet and one hand dry as you do during a flour-egg-breadcrumb dredge (and, really, who remembers?), your hands stay comparatively un-grubby. Those craggy crumbles stick to the batter like a dream, forming a consistent coating that stays put in the hot oil so you don’t have to be fussy while flipping.
I have since used this batter and panko combination with cubed tofu, meaty hunks of mushroom, and cauliflower florets so good and crispy they’ve put to shame every soggy “cauliflower wing” I’ve ever ordered. With this breading the world is my oyster—I’ll go ahead and fry it.
High Time for Fry Time
Take olives from snack to PARTY snack by coating them in panko and deep-frying them until golden brown and shatteringly crisp.
