crispy fried brussel sprouts with honey-glazed walnuts

i (jun) still remember my first taste of deep fried brussel sprouts. it was about 4 years ago in san francisco, at this restaurant called spqr, down in the lower pacific heights area. i was addicted at first bite. from that point on, every time i saw fried brussel sprouts on the menu, i had to order it. but it never really occurred to me to make it at home. maybe i didn’t want to deal with the smoky splattering oil all over the kitchen. until now, i’m craving for this dish!

certain vegetables are delicious when deep fried, and brussel sprouts is definitely one of them… we love how the leaves turn golden brown and the texture becomes light and crispy. the inherent bitter taste of the brussel sprouts become more pronounced when fried, so if you’re a fan of that flavor, then you gotta throw these bad boys into a pot of hot oil. but to counteract and balance that bitter note, we paired it with sweet honeyed walnuts.

brussel sprouts 20 heads
walnut pieces 1 cup
honey 1 tbsp
oil for frying

in a small saucepan, turn heat to medium and throw in the walnuts (no oil)
toss regularly to prevent burning, once the walnuts begin to slightly char on the surface, they are done, about 5 min
add the honey and turn off the heat, stir and mix to get the walnuts evenly coated
set the honeyed walnuts aside on a plate and let it cool, keep the walnuts from touching each other
in the meantime, cut the brussel sprouts into quarters, make sure they are dry
add enough oil to fill 1/4 of a pot, heat the oil to 350 F (175 C)
drop the sprouts into the pot of hot oil, in small batches (caution, it might splatter)
once lightly browned, about 3-4 min per batch, use a hand strainer to remove the sprouts and set aside on a cooling rack
after frying the remaining sprouts, break apart the honeyed walnuts, most likely they will be stuck to the plate
toss the honeyed walnuts with the crispy brussel sprouts
sprinkle with course sea salt to taste (we used pink himalayan sea salt, yeah we fancy like that)