This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Fire crackers are saltine crackers (or oyster or Ritz crackers) that are coated in spiced oil. They're easy to make and can be served with dips, soups, shrimp, oysters, or on cheese and meat boards.

Fire crackers are seasoned saltines that can be briefly re-baked before serving with dips, soups, chili, or cheese boards.

Medina County steak tartare with house-made fire crackers at Wild Oats.

Quick pickle Gulf shrimp served with house-made fire crackers at Goode Co. Fish Camp.

Hot Granny Crackers from Little Kitchen HTX are $5 at the Jersey Village restaurant and also available at Urban Harvest Farmers Market.

Fire crackers are saltine crackers (or oyster or Ritz crackers) that are coated in spiced oil. They're easy to make and can be served with dips, soups, shrimp, oysters, or on cheese and meat boards.

Fourth of July’s fireworks are months away, but you can set off firecrackers in your own kitchen any time of the year, all you need are some saltines.

We’re talking about fire crackers — everyday saltines (or oyster crackers) that have been gussied up with oil and spices to create savory, snackable crunchers that lend a welcome kick to dips, soup, chili, oysters and shrimp. A simple bath in oil seasoned with chili flakes and powdered ranch dressing mix turns plain-Jane crackers into crispy sparklers that can be enjoyed by themselves, as dip accompaniments, or strewn on a cheese and charcuterie board.

Sometimes called Alabama fire crackers, the seasoned crackers are familiar throughout the South. In Houston, they’re served at a handful of restaurants and retailers.

The new Goode Co. Fish Camp restaurant in The Woodlands has a dish of quick-pickled shrimp it serves with its own version of fire crackers that resemble long flatbread crackers. Until recently, J-Bar-M Barbecue in EaDo was serving fire crackers with its pimento cheese (bring them back!). Georgia James steakhouse and Wild Oats restaurant at Houston Farmers Market (both Underbelly Hospitality restaurants) serve their own version of fire crackers. Instead of baking them, they are lightly fried.

“It’s a simple and fun way to elevate a really common ingredient, the common cracker,” said Greg Peters, executive chef at Georgia James. “It lends a layer of buttery-ness to the cracker.”

Peters said fire crackers, in some form (different seasonings), have been on the steakhouse menu since it opened. Currently, they are served with a smoked redfish dip; at Wild Oats, they’re served with steak tartare.

Peters said he occasionally buys fire crackers at Buc-ee’s, which has its own version called Sizzling Saltines.

In addition to Buc-ee’s, H-E-B stores and Spec’s locations carry Hobi’s Bites hot crackers, which come in a variety of flavors: original, jalapeño, ranch, barbecue, dill pickle, and chile limon — check out hobisbites.com for recipes using the crackers, including meatloaf, herb-crusted salmon and air-fryer chicken.

Little Kitchen HTX, the Houston-based restaurant and catering company from Becca Reyenga Kerr and chef Jason Kerr, does a brisk business in hot crackers. Their version, called Hot Granny Crackers, are based on Becca’s grandmother’s recipe, which she made using oyster crackers.

Sold at Little Kitchen restaurant in Jersey Village (as well as Little Kitchen’s outpost on Rice University’s campus; at the Urban Harvest Farmers Market; and at Black’s Bodega in the Warehouse District), Hot Granny Crackers are made with saltines, ranch dressing mix, cayenne and vegetable oil and pair well with the company’s pimento cheese, chicken salad, pickled shrimp, and meat and cheese boards.

“These are really nice, simple snacks,” Becca Kerr said. “They’re good with a cold beverage. They’re definitely not boring.”

Which is why fire crackers are a good name for these spicy crunch bombs. I tested a handful of recipes I found online, and most follow the same formula: oil flavored with dry ranch dressing mix, dried chili flakes and other spices, including garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper. After “curing” them in spices (most recipes call for an overnight “soak”), the crackers are ready to serve, although some recipes call for a quick toast in the oven on a sheet pan. But that step is optional; the crackers retain their crisp without the oven.

The basic recipe is extremely forgiving and adjustable in dozens of ways. You can add more heat with cayenne; bump up the flavors by using oregano, Italian dressing seasoning, Cajun spices, barbecue rubs or steak seasoning, lemon pepper, smoked paprika, or Indian spices; neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable, can be substituted with olive oil and even butter or ghee. Use the seasoning on saltines, oyster crackers, Ritz crackers, Town House crackers, or flatbread crackers. (Crackers I did not try, although I’m sure they work, include Wheat Thins, Triscuits and large Cheez-Its.)

Most recipes call for the crackers to rest in their spice “bath” in a zip-close plastic bag overnight. Amazingly, the crackers remain crunchy even after their wet seasoning.

“It’s kind of magical,” Kerr said. “It works though.”

•16 ounces (four sleeves) saltine crackers •1 teaspoon garlic powder •1 teaspoon onion powder •½ teaspoon black pepper •4 tablespoons ranch dressing mix •3 tablespoons red pepper flakes •1½ cups olive or canola oil

Instructions: Use a large gallon zip-close plastic Ziploc bag. Place all seasonings and oil in the bag; close and knead thoroughly to mix ingredients together. Place 4 sleeves of crackers in the bag, seal and turn gently to coat the crackers with spice mixture. Let bag sit overnight (turning occasionally to mix).

Remove crackers and lay on baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees for about 15 minutes.

•1 (9 ounce) bag oyster crackers •1 cup canola or vegetable oil •2 tablespoons red pepper flakes •1 packet ranch dressing mix •½ teaspoon garlic powder •½ teaspoon onion powder •1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions: In a bowl, mix oil with seasonings. Place crackers in a large gallon-size zip-close plastic Ziploc bag. Pour seasonings into bag. Seal and toss. Let crackers sit in seasoning overnight. Toss occasionally. Serve.

Greg Morago was a features editor and reporter for The Hartford Courant for 25 years before joining the Houston Chronicle as food editor in 2009. He writes about food, restaurants, spirits, travel, fashion and beauty. He is a native Arizonan and member of the Pima tribe of the Gila River Indian Community.