Recipes Comfort Food 30 Crave-Worthy Fried Food Recipes By Food & Wine Editors Updated on November 13, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo by Jennifer Causey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn Be it a battered vegetable, a breadcrumbed cutlet, or a tender piece of dough, what doesn't benefit from a proper fry job? From basic French fries to delicate tempura, nothing quite pleases the palate like a plate of food made delightfully crisp from a brief dip in hot oil. This collection of our favorite fried food recipes includes elegant two-bite appetizers, crisp-gooey cheeses, and of course, classic fried chicken. Read on for these and more mouthwatering fried dishes to make whenever the mood strikes. 01 of 30 Katsu Curry (Japanese Curry with Tonkatsu Nuggets and Fried Egg) Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Japanese cooking expert Sonoko Sakai's curry recipe is an ode to two popular Japanese dishes: curry and katsu. The secret to getting the brittle, crispy skin on tonkatsu (Japanese crispy breaded pork cutlets) is to use panko breadcrumbs, which are much larger and coarser than Western-style breadcrumbs. Get the Recipe 02 of 30 Doughnut Holes with Raspberry Jam © Con Poulos Chef Ginevra Iverson used to serve her light, crisp, sugared doughnut holes at Restaurant Eloise in Sonoma County, California, with sweet-tart raspberry jam. She wouldn't send any imperfect doughnut holes into the dining room; misshapen ones, she said, became snacks for whichever member of the kitchen crew got to them first. Get the Recipe 03 of 30 Fritto Misto with Calabrian Chile Aïoli Jose Mandojana / Food Styling by Robyn Valarik / Prop Styling by Christine Wolheim A festive mix of shrimp, calamari, anchovy-stuffed olives, and paper-thin lemon slices are dredged in a Pernod-spiked batter and fried to crispy, golden perfection. Jarred Calabrian chiles add a fruity heat to the creamy aïoli dipping sauce. Get the Recipe 04 of 30 Hare Mutter Ki Samosas (Green Pea Samosas) © Marcus Nilsson Chef Sanjeev Chopra has advice for filling his delightful vegetarian samosas: "Mash the peas, but not too finely; you want little pieces, for texture." He makes his own buttery dough, but frozen empanada wrappers, widely available in supermarkets, are an excellent substitute. Get the Recipe 05 of 30 Tempura Four Ways Photo by Jennifer Causey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn This assortment of tempura vegetables, shrimp, and uni served with tendashi and matcha salt from Top Chef contestant Shota Nakajima is an excellent snacking platter that can double as a meal. The tempura chocolate cookies — stuffed with cream accented with Wagyu fat and then fried — are an unexpected, sweet finish. Get the Recipe 06 of 30 Thrice-Cooked Fries © Matthew Armendariz This much-adored recipe from the now-shuttered Breslin in New York City starts with boiling the potatoes to make them tender. They're then double-fried for an incredible crispiness. Get the Recipe 07 of 30 King Trumpet Schnitzel with Mixed Herb Pesto Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Kathleen Varner Here, king trumpet mushrooms get the schnitzel treatment. Double-breading them creates a crispy crust that stays crunchy even as they cook and release moisture. Black pepper and turmeric add a savory, bitter flavor to complement the mushrooms' earthiness, while fragrant Meyer lemon juice and nutty pecorino cheese amp up the herb-packed pesto. Get the Recipe 08 of 30 Crispy Fried Fish Tacos © Con Poulos Classically trained chef Tomas Lee was eager to bring the fusion taco trend to Atlanta with his restaurant Hankook. Here, he flavors panko-breaded fried fish tacos with hoisin mayonnaise. Get the Recipe 09 of 30 Fried Boudin Balls with Creole Mustard Dipping Sauce Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman These Fried Boudin Balls boast pork, rice, liver, and seasonings that are shaped into balls and fried for a crispy exterior and a light, almost creamy interior. We use chicken livers instead of pork livers and panko breadcrumbs instead of crushed crackers, but swap in pork liver and crushed crackers if you prefer. Get the Recipe 10 of 30 Saganaki Halloumi (Cypriot Fried Halloumi) Photo by Cedric Angeles / Prop Styling by Stephanie Bohn Halloumi cheese is fried in clarified butter, then brushed in a spiced honey and served with lemon yogurt, brandy-basted nectarines, and fresh tomatoes in this sweet and savory appetizer from Christian Hernandez, chef de cuisine of March in Houston. Get the Recipe 11 of 30 Fried Oysters with Remoulade Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley These crunchy fried oysters are an elegant, fun appetizer. They're served with a creamy remoulade made with mayonnaise, horseradish, capers, hot sauce, and Creole mustard — the perfect dipper for the crispy oysters. Even better, this recipe adjusts easily; for a smaller group, just cut it in half. Get the Recipe 12 of 30 Grilled Tuna with Fried Manchego © Tina Rupp Chef Jose Garces serves seared tuna alongside cheese croquettes, which are made from a mixture of béchamel, grated Manchego, and gelatin that's then rolled into balls, breaded, and deep-fried. For this easy version, we skip the croquettes and instead just bread and pan-fry small slices of Manchego cheese until crisp on the outside and oozing on the inside. Get the Recipe 13 of 30 Kabocha Squash Fritters with Yuzu-Garlic Dipping Sauce Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Japanese korokke are the basis for these cheesy squash fritters, which can be made with freshly steamed kabocha squash or canned pumpkin puree. Serve them with a shortcut dipping sauce: a blend of fresh garlic, bright yuzu juice, and silky Kewpie mayo. Get the Recipe 14 of 30 Fried Pickles with Spicy Mayonnaise © Wendell T. Webber Chef Zak Pelaccio grew up eating fried pickles in Brooklyn Heights, New York. He coats his extra-crisp version in panko and fries them in schmaltz (chicken fat), though vegetable oil works well, too. Get the Recipe 15 of 30 Lemon-Brined Fried Chicken Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely To make this juicy and delectably crisp chicken, chef Thomas Keller soaks it in a lemony brine, then coats and fries it. Get the Recipe 16 of 30 Fried Pork Tamales © Raymond Hom Chef Alex Stupak first steams his pork tamales, then dusts them with flour and fries them until they are golden, crispy, and incredible. Get the Recipe 17 of 30 Farro Salad with Fried Cauliflower and Prosciutto © Kana Okada Cooks in Italy fry cauliflower to bring out its nuttiness. Here, chef Ethan Stowell deep-fries it for a salad with salty prosciutto and nubby farro, a variety of whole-grain wheat. Get the Recipe 18 of 30 Diples (Fried Greek Pastry with Honey and Nuts) © Martin Morrell These ethereal Greek dessert pastries resemble thin, crispy cigars. Run the dough through a pasta rolling machine to achieve the texture you need. The honey syrup here is key, with orange zest, cinnamon, and lemon juice to keep the flavors light. Get the Recipe 19 of 30 Fried Green Tomato BLTs Photo © Quentin Bacon This is a brilliant marriage of two classics: fried cornmeal-dusted green tomatoes and a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. Get the Recipe 20 of 30 Crisp Gnocchi "Tater Tots" © Peden + Munk Impossibly delicious, this dish from Top Chef winner Michael Voltaggio combines the best of both worlds: pasta and fried food. Get the Recipe 21 of 30 Catfish Po'Boys with Pickle Remoulade © Antonis Achilleos These mouthwatering fried fish sandwiches from San Francisco chef Jay Foster are made crispy with a combination breading of cornmeal, panko, and flour. They're slathered with a piquant sauce featuring sweet pickle relish, capers, shallot, and garlic. Get the Recipe 22 of 30 Crispy Fried Tofu Sandwich Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Freezing and thawing extra-firm tofu and then wringing out its moisture makes the slabs more porous and receptive to the tangy pickle juice marinade in this crave-worthy fried tofu sandwich. After a brief soak in pickle juice, the tofu is dredged in a spiced flour mixture, brushed with hot sauce and mustard, and then dredged again and fried to yield the crispy, crunchy slabs. Get the Recipe 23 of 30 Fried Cheese Curds with Buttermilk Ranch Dipping Sauce Photo by Huge Galdones / Food Styling by Christina Zerkis White cheddar cheese curds are battered and deep-fried until they're golden brown for an irresistible appetizer or snack. The batter includes white rice flour, which is the secret to extra-crispy frying. It's spiked with lager and gets a subtle zip from yellow mustard. Get the Recipe 24 of 30 Perkedel Jagung (Indonesian Corn Fritters) Louise Hagger Chef Lara Lee's Perkedel Jagung are all about the sweet, tender corn. Packed with fresh or frozen kernels and layers of flavor from fresh ginger and shallots, fragrant Makrut lime leaves, and floral ground coriander and cumin, these fried treats are delicious served with a balancing spicy Tomato Sambal. Get the Recipe 25 of 30 Crispy Onion Rings © Zubin Schroff "There's nothing better than a simple tempura of a primo vegetable," states chef Peter Hoffman. For this sensational version, he coats thick onion rings in an ultralight batter and quickly fries them. Hoffman says any vegetable that slices nicely, like delicate squash, fennel, or zucchini, would be great here, as long as it "takes to the batter" — meaning the batter stays on. Get the Recipe 26 of 30 Vada Pav (Potato Fritter Sandwich) Photo by Rachel Vanni / Food Styling by Judy Haubert Vada pav, one of Mumbai's most popular street foods, is a potato fritter the size of a baseball stuffed into a flaky white bun, smeared with coconut and spicy green chile chutneys, and then squished until it's small enough to fit into your mouth. Get the Recipe 27 of 30 Tori No Karaage (Chicken Karaage) Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Karaage, named after its cooking method (frying), is traditionally made with small, boneless pieces of chicken, usually thigh meat. In this recipe, the chicken is marinated in fresh ginger, garlic, sake, and soy sauce to add flavor and juiciness. It's then dredged in flour and potato starch, and finally twice-fried to create a light and perfectly crisp coating. Get the Recipe 28 of 30 Sausage-Stuffed Fried Olives Victor Protasio Buttery, mild Castelvetrano olives add just enough salt and tang to these fried sausage snacks that pair beautifully with a crisp martini or chilled glass of wine. Use a high-quality Italian sausage for the best texture and flavor. Get the Recipe 29 of 30 Golden Fried Rice with Asparagus and XO Sauce Yekaterina Boytsova Stir-frying rice with egg yolks is a technique that hails from Chinese imperial cuisine, says chef Lucas Sin, and gives the dish a buttery richness and beautiful golden color. A generous amount of onions, garlic, scallions, and fresh ginger builds a foundation of flavor, while a spoonful of spicy seafood-infused XO sauce and plenty of freshly blanched asparagus make this fried rice even more delicious. Get the Recipe 30 of 30 Scallop Fritters © James Baigrie When chef Jimmy Bradley opened the Red Cat in 1999, he wanted to combine an Italian-American sensibility with his own New England upbringing. The Red Cat Cookbook highlights the inventive, uncomplicated, and always memorable recipes from Bradley's restaurant. These light, crisp fritters include bits of chopped scallops in a batter made with clam broth and pilsner — the perfect expression of Bradley's New England tastes. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit