Fried Avocado Strips....So Worth It!!!

Fried Avocado Strips

Cooking Time 15 Minutes; Yields 2-4 People

Ingredients
1 avocado; pealed and sliced
peanut oil
1 cup flour
2 eggs; mixed
2 cups italian panko
2 pinches salt; one in flour and one in panko
1 pinch black pepper; in flour bread
2-4 lime slices

Cooking Instructions

1. First grab a cast iron skillet or a regular sauté pan and fill 1/4 - 1/2 with peanut oil.  We are going to pan fry these avocado strips and not fully submerge them under the oil, so keep that in mind when placing expensive peanut oil in your pan.
2. Place your peanut oil pan of choice over medium heat, goal reaching 350 degrees F.
***TIP: use a candy thermometer to check the heat or just flick a little piece of panko into the oil to see if the oil bubbles around the panko
3. While your oil is heating lets prep your avocado breading station.  Paper plates are the best when it comes to breading food; you can just throw them away when you are done and it is an easy clean up.
4. Ok, lets get three paper plates.  Your first plate will have flour with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Your second plate will have your eggs, mixed.  Finally, your third plate will have your italian panko and pinch of salt.

5. Now lets prep our avocado!!!
6. Slice your avocado in half and remove the MASSIVE pit.  To remove the pit just use your knife that you are prepping your food with.  Hold your knife about 6 inches above the pit, then firmly hit the avocado pit with the knife blade.  DO NOT BE TIMID, you will need a little force.  When the knife is firmly into the pit, give it a little twist to loosen and lift from the avocado half.  Voila, you did it!

7. To remove the skin while keeping your avocado intact takes a little patients.  I like to run my thumb between the skin and the avocado, gently pulling the outer skin away from the meat of the avocado.  Once pealed place the avocado flat side down.

8. To make even strips I like to cut the half of my avocado in half.  If you want thick pieces of fried avocado just cut it into fourths.  If you like them a little thinner (my husband) then cut it into sixths.

9. Ok boys and girls its time to bread and fry these little babies.  Start with placing half of your avocado in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and finally coat very well with your panko mixture.

10. Once evenly coated place the avocado into the hot oil, be careful not to splash yourself when dropping them into the oil.  Always lay the item you are frying away from your body not towards your body; that way if it splashes it will splash away from you (yes that is the nurse in me coming out because, I don't want to see any of you in the hospital with severe oil burns because you tried to fry avocados!).

11. Whatever you do, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR AVOCADO SLICES.  They fry extremely fast.  Once you see some of the panko browning flip the avocado slice (It takes about 1-2 minutes max).

12. After both sides are golden brown, remove to a paper towel and salt generously.

13. Repeat your breading and frying sequence with your other half of sliced avocado and serve to your friend and family.
14. I like to give people the option of lime juice to squirt over your fried avocado strips, or some people may prefer ranch or chipolte cream sauce to dip them in.  Either way everyone will like this appetizer, trust me!
***TIP: to make "good" ranch as my family calls it...use one Hidden Valley ranch dressing package, 1 cup of mayo, and 1 cup of milk.  Mix everything together and let it chill for 30 minutes before using.
***TIP: to make chipolte cream sauce...use your blender and place 8oz sour cream, 1 cup mayo, 2-3 chipolte peppers in adobo sauce, 1/2 a lime (juiced), salt, and pepper.  Blend until creamy.  If it is too thick then add 1-2 splashes of heavy cream.
15. Enjoy!!!