The best salty-savory-sweet Super Bowl snacks that go crunch-crunch-crunch

My all-time favorite Super Bowl snack is, no question, furikake Chex mix. The nutty, buttery, chock-full-of-pretzel-sticks kind is the special-occasion Chex mix I grew up on. But a couple of years ago food stylist Caroline Hwang, who is also co-founder of Synonym magazine, introduced me to her recipe for the Hawaiian version featuring furikake and a sweet soy sauce glaze that caramelizes in the oven to exquisite crunchiness. To me, it’s crispy-crunchy, salty, sweet, umami heaven.

The crunch factor is key.

Corey Chow, former chef de cuisine at Thomas Keller’s Per Se, passed along this recipe to Hwang. Chow inherited the recipe from his mom, who received it from a neighbor. Each time it’s handed off, it gets tweaked — because furikake Chex mix is highly adaptable that way.

Chow’s mom and Hwang doubled down on the crunch. Hwang adds Orion brand Turtle chips — the South Korean four-layered corn chips designed to shatter when you bite into them (available at many Asian markets). Tina Chow, Corey’s mom, said she bakes the Chex mix longer and adds a little extra brown rice syrup “to give it more crunch.” “With the extra syrup,” she said, “it’s really crunchy and dark and just right and more furikake would stick to the cereal.”

Here are more recipes for crunch time: Chex mix, beer nuts, fried potatoes, crudités and homemade tortilla chips. (For the latter, you’ll need this guacamole and/or these dips.)

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Furikake Chex Mix

This is the ultimate you-can’t-stop-eating-it furikake Chex mix: sweet, salty, savory and crunchy. This version of the Hawaiian snack — buttery and tossed with umami-loaded seaweed and sesame seeds — is adapted from a local recipe passed between family, friends and neighbors. Tips for making it crunchy: longer bake time, a little extra brown rice syrup and the addition of Turtle chips.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes. Makes about 12 cups.

Super Bowl Recipe: Furikake Chex Mix

(Jacob Cummings / For The Times)

Totopos

Writer Paola Briseño Gonzalez’s totopos, the official name of tortilla chips in Mexico, are easy to make from thick-cut stale tortillas. Lay out the tortillas overnight at room temperature to remove moisture, which will help make the chips extra crunchy-crispy. Totopos can be fried or baked. Don’t forget the guacamole.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 30 minutes. Makes 12 ounces.

(Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

Fried Potatoes and Crudités with Caesar Sour Cream

This party appetizer has something for everyone, points out former Times columnist Ben Mims: hot, salty roast potatoes that are crisp like French fries; cold, crunchy vegetables; and a rich sour cream dip flavored with anchovies, Worcestershire and Parmesan for a Caesar salad-like tang.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 2 hours. Serves 8 to 10.

(Dylan + Jeni/For the Times)

Classic Spiced Nuts with Rosemary

A crunchy nut mix spiced with chile flakes, paprika and rosemary means full-on flavor. Almonds, cashews, pecans and walnuts are coated in maple syrup and brown sugar, kosher salt and spices.
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Cook time: 40 minutes. Serves 8 to 10.

(Dylan + Jeni/For the Times)

Deschutes Brewery Beer Nuts

This reader-requested batch of beer nuts from the Deschutes Brewery in Portland, Ore., features marcona almonds and cashews tossed in a mix of molasses, brown sugar and sea salt. They’ve got that salty-sweet bar-snack crunch.
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Cook time: 15 minutes. Makes about 10 cups.