Before cooking, prepare a clean, dry fine-mesh strainer or sieve over a bowl (to catch the oil). Line a plate with a paper towel.
Pour oil into a cold pan. Add garlic and heat pan over medium- to medium-low heat. Shake to disperse the garlic and cook over medium-low heat until garlic starts to crisp and reaches a light golden color throughout, 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour garlic out into the strainer over the bowl. Sprinkle with salt and shake to remove excess oil into the bowl. Pour dry garlic out onto the paper towel-lined plate and let cool completely for best crisp.
Optional pre-step: bring garlic to a boil in a pot of water. Add garlic slices to a pot of water, just enough to cover. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Strain garlic, then proceed with the recipe. This helps remove extra sugars from the garlic to ensure even browning while it fries.
Notes
Store crispy fried garlic for up to a week in an airtight container. For crispiest results, enjoy immediately!