Pan-Fried Baby Artichokes With Gremolata

Name: Pan-Fried Baby Artichokes With Gremolata
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 12 baby artichokes (about 11/2 pounds); 2 cups buttermilk; 1 cup all-purpose flour; Pinch cayenne; Salt and pepper; Olive oil or vegetable oil, for frying; 1/2 cup chopped parsley; 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon finely chopped or grated lemon zest; 1 teaspoon finely chopped or grated orange zest; 1 tablespoon roughly chopped capers; Lemon wedges

By David Tanis

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 5(80)
Notes: Read community notes

Here is an appetizer course to beat the band. Baby artichokes dipped in seasoned flour, fried and served with a gremolata of parsley, garlic, lemon zest, orange zest and capers. Snap off a few of the tough, dark exterior leaves of the little artichokes until the pale green centers are visible. Then cut a half-inch or so off the tops of each artichoke and trim the stem end with a paring knife. Cut them lengthwise into halves or quarters and put them in a bowl of water with a good squeeze of lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. This can be done an hour or two before cooking. Use olive oil to fry them if you’re feeling extravagant, or a frugal combination of olive and vegetable oils.

Featured in: Raw Artichoke Salad

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

12baby artichokes (about 1½ pounds)
2cups buttermilk
1cup all-purpose flour
Pinch cayenne
Salt and pepper
Olive oil or vegetable oil, for frying
½cup chopped parsley
1small garlic clove, finely chopped
1teaspoon finely chopped or grated lemon zest
1teaspoon finely chopped or grated orange zest
1tablespoon roughly chopped capers
Lemon wedges

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Remove dark tough exterior leaves from artichokes. Trim stem end and cut off top of each artichoke, then cut in half lengthwise. Put artichoke halves in a bowl and cover with buttermilk. Leave to soak for 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 2
Mix together flour, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Drain artichokes, dip in seasoned flour to coat and put on a plate in one layer.
Step 3
Pour ½ inch oil in a wide skillet and place over medium-high heat. When oil is wavy, carefully slip in artichokes one at a time, taking care not to crowd the pan. (Fry in batches if necessary.) Let fry gently until one side is well browned, about 2 minutes, then turn over and brown other side. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt.
Step 4
Make the gremolata: Combine parsley, garlic, lemon zest, orange zest and capers. Put fried artichokes on a platter and sprinkle generously with the mixture. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges.

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Ratings

5 out of 5

80 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Katie5 years ago

How important is it to soak in buttermilk? Would the result be very different after soaking in acidulares water?

Danielle4 years ago

Definitely peel off way more leaves than you think you need to. Mine came out pretty bland. Too much effort for the end result.

Beth7 months ago

It's winter in the Midwest and no baby artichokes to be had. I risked using frozen artichoke hearts, rinsed them in warm water and squeezed out the extra water. Followed the rest of the recipe as written. It was fantastic! I wasn't sure I'd need the buttermilk, I tried one with and one without before I got the whole batch going. Definitely tasted better after the buttermilk bath. Will definitely make again.

Laura H.8 months ago

This recipe is delicious but you really do have to make very sure you take off a lot of the outer leaves; if you don’t, the artichoke is tough, just like a larger one, and won’t be pleasant to eat. Once you think you’ve taken off enough, take off at least one more layer.

Sookie2 years ago

Delicious. I didn't make the gremolata, though, just dipped in melted butter.

Sookie2 years ago

Really good served with melted butter, too.

Danielle4 years ago

Definitely peel off way more leaves than you think you need to. Mine came out pretty bland. Too much effort for the end result.

Annie5 years ago

This was my first attempt at baby artichokes. I should have removed a LOT more of the outer leaves. Don't stop at a few.

Katie5 years ago

How important is it to soak in buttermilk? Would the result be very different after soaking in acidulares water?

Acidiac6 years ago

This came out amazing! I used artichoke bottoms, large and quarted. Did not have buttermilk so 2% with vinegar.. I an saving this recipe. Not quite grandmas, however it was so yum.

Jessica6 years ago

Frying is not my thing and so my results may be sub par, but I won't be making this again.

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