The Best Black Eyed Peas I Ever Ate
For fans of Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," you probably can't forget when Alton Brown practically broke out in to song over the DEEP FRIED BLACK EYED PEAS at Relish in Roswell, GA (you can check out the video below). And who could blame him? A little bit of heat from the peppers and seasonings and a whole lot of crunch packed in to tiny bite sized starters.
Fortunately Relish's Owner and Executive Chef Andy Badgett was kind enough to share the recipe with us on this very special TGI Fryday. And while we can now enjoy these tasty deep fried treats in the comfort of our home or at our next barbecue contest, the rest of Chef Badgett's menu has us counting the days til we can try the original in person!
Relish's Fried Black Eyed Peas
(courtesy of Relish Owner and Exec. Chef Andy Badgett)
Soak 1 bag of black eyed peas overnight
Boil in water with 1 poblano pepper, 1 jalapeno pepper, and 1 onion (all roughly chopped/quartered) until al dente
Separate peas from peppers and onion
Fry at 325 degrees (this is particularly tricky*)
Toss to taste with old bay seasoning
Serve warm
*The trick to frying is the size of the bubbles in the oil as you fry. When they get to be about the size of a dime, the peas should be about right. Under cooked they are tough, over cooked they taste burned.
About Chef Badgett
Thecreator of Asher and The Fickle Pickle, Andy Badgett, attributes hisaffinity for the kitchen to his mother who is an excellent cook. Shefirst shared her skill and passion for cooking with her son upon hisreturn home from summer camp when he told her that he wanted to learnhow to cook...and a chef was born. Badgett’s love for cooking wasinspired by the creativity, the bounty of ingredients and that Southern hospitality.
Badgett is a 1997 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where he met his wife, Jennifer. Together they moved to San Francisco where Jennifer worked with one of the most influential American chefs – Alice Waters – founder and co-owner of Chez Panisse. And Andy took a line cook position at Stars – alongside Jeremiah Tower who, along with Alice Waters, is generally credited with inventing California cuisine.
In 1998, they moved to Atlanta, returning to Jennifer’s hometown. Andy worked at Ciboulette and was the pastry chef at Sia’s before the couple decided to follow their dream of opening their own restaurant.
The husband and wife team opened their first joint venture in Roswellin January 2000 – Asher. The name of the restaurant was inspired by apassage from Genesis – and Andy’s favorite food quote – that reads,"Asher's food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king."The couple enjoyed critical acclaim for their nightly 4-course PrixFixe menu featuring “inspired classic” cuisine that focused on Frenchand Italian techniques.
Afterthree successful years of operating Asher, the couple made a difficultdecision to close Asher so that they could focus on their growingfamily and spend some evenings at their own family dinner table. Badgett’slove for Southern cuisine inspired him to transform the quaintVictorian cottage that once housed Asher into The Fickle Pickle – acasual restaurant that provides the perfect setting to enjoyold-fashioned Southern classics and comfort food with a modern twist.And The Fickle Pickle has received critical acclaim for their Cajun fried pickles. Atlanta's own “mad scientist of the culinary world” Alton Brown, host of the Food Network’s“Good Eats” was interviewed in the July 2006 issue of “Where Atlanta”magazine, where he said “one of his favorite local appetizers are friedpickles from the Fickle Pickle in Roswell.”
Afterfour successful years with The Fickle Pickle, Badgett was ready for anew culinary challenge and opened Relish in August 2007. Badgett knowsSouthern food well and enjoys creating good food inspired by the richculinary history of Southern cuisine. Badgett has created a menu thatcelebrates Southern Cuisine – interpreted with modern sensibilities –to complement the casual bistro environment of Relish.
- SmokeInDaEye.com, Home of Bigger, Badder, Bolder Competition BBQ(c)
Fortunately Relish's Owner and Executive Chef Andy Badgett was kind enough to share the recipe with us on this very special TGI Fryday. And while we can now enjoy these tasty deep fried treats in the comfort of our home or at our next barbecue contest, the rest of Chef Badgett's menu has us counting the days til we can try the original in person!
Relish's Fried Black Eyed Peas
(courtesy of Relish Owner and Exec. Chef Andy Badgett)
Soak 1 bag of black eyed peas overnight
Boil in water with 1 poblano pepper, 1 jalapeno pepper, and 1 onion (all roughly chopped/quartered) until al dente
Separate peas from peppers and onion
Fry at 325 degrees (this is particularly tricky*)
Toss to taste with old bay seasoning
Serve warm
*The trick to frying is the size of the bubbles in the oil as you fry. When they get to be about the size of a dime, the peas should be about right. Under cooked they are tough, over cooked they taste burned.
About Chef Badgett
Thecreator of Asher and The Fickle Pickle, Andy Badgett, attributes hisaffinity for the kitchen to his mother who is an excellent cook. Shefirst shared her skill and passion for cooking with her son upon hisreturn home from summer camp when he told her that he wanted to learnhow to cook...and a chef was born. Badgett’s love for cooking wasinspired by the creativity, the bounty of ingredients and that Southern hospitality.
Badgett is a 1997 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where he met his wife, Jennifer. Together they moved to San Francisco where Jennifer worked with one of the most influential American chefs – Alice Waters – founder and co-owner of Chez Panisse. And Andy took a line cook position at Stars – alongside Jeremiah Tower who, along with Alice Waters, is generally credited with inventing California cuisine.
In 1998, they moved to Atlanta, returning to Jennifer’s hometown. Andy worked at Ciboulette and was the pastry chef at Sia’s before the couple decided to follow their dream of opening their own restaurant.
The husband and wife team opened their first joint venture in Roswellin January 2000 – Asher. The name of the restaurant was inspired by apassage from Genesis – and Andy’s favorite food quote – that reads,"Asher's food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king."The couple enjoyed critical acclaim for their nightly 4-course PrixFixe menu featuring “inspired classic” cuisine that focused on Frenchand Italian techniques.
Afterthree successful years of operating Asher, the couple made a difficultdecision to close Asher so that they could focus on their growingfamily and spend some evenings at their own family dinner table. Badgett’slove for Southern cuisine inspired him to transform the quaintVictorian cottage that once housed Asher into The Fickle Pickle – acasual restaurant that provides the perfect setting to enjoyold-fashioned Southern classics and comfort food with a modern twist.And The Fickle Pickle has received critical acclaim for their Cajun fried pickles. Atlanta's own “mad scientist of the culinary world” Alton Brown, host of the Food Network’s“Good Eats” was interviewed in the July 2006 issue of “Where Atlanta”magazine, where he said “one of his favorite local appetizers are friedpickles from the Fickle Pickle in Roswell.”
Afterfour successful years with The Fickle Pickle, Badgett was ready for anew culinary challenge and opened Relish in August 2007. Badgett knowsSouthern food well and enjoys creating good food inspired by the richculinary history of Southern cuisine. Badgett has created a menu thatcelebrates Southern Cuisine – interpreted with modern sensibilities –to complement the casual bistro environment of Relish.
- SmokeInDaEye.com, Home of Bigger, Badder, Bolder Competition BBQ(c)
Posted by Smoke In Da Eye at 4/16/2010 8:26 AM 
Categories: TGI Frydays, recipes
Tags: fried black eyed peas
Categories: TGI Frydays, recipes
Tags: fried black eyed peas
I missed that episode but that looks and sounds amazing. If Alton praises them so much, I can't imagine how good they are. I put these on my try soon list.
You have any recommendations for deep fryers?
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