Hush Puppies
Southern cornmeal fritters: golf-ball scoops of buttermilk-cornmeal batter with onion and a pinch of cayenne, dropped into hot oil and fried gold.
Overview
A batter of fine cornmeal and plain flour (about 2:1), buttermilk, egg, baking powder, baking soda, a teaspoon of sugar, salt, pepper and finely chopped onion. Rest for 15 minutes for the cornmeal to hydrate. Drop walnut-sized scoops into oil at 170°C; fry for 3-4 minutes total, turning, until deep gold.
Ingredients
- 200 g fine yellow cornmeal
- 100 g plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 onion (small, very finely chopped, about 100 g)
- 1 egg (large, lightly beaten)
- 280 ml buttermilk
- 1 litre vegetable oil for deep frying
Method
Stage 1 - Batter
- Whisk cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, cayenne, pepper in a wide bowl.
- Stir in the chopped onion.
- Whisk the egg and buttermilk together; pour into the dry; fold to a thick scoopable batter.
- Rest 15 minutes - the cornmeal needs to hydrate.
Stage 2 - Heat oil
- Heat oil to 170°C in a deep heavy pan.
Stage 3 - Fry
- Using two teaspoons or a small ice cream scoop, drop walnut-sized blobs of batter into the hot oil.
- Fry in batches of 5-6, 3-4 minutes total, turning, until deep gold and crisp.
- Lift onto a rack with kitchen paper.
Stage 4 - Serve
- Eat hot, with fried catfish or shrimp, BBQ, or alongside coleslaw and pickles.
Notes
- Fine cornmeal: Coarse cornmeal gives gritty, dry hush puppies. Look for fine or medium - yellow cornmeal (corn flour in the UK, polenta if it's labelled "fine ground").
- Don't overmix: Lumps are fine. Overmixing develops gluten and gives chewy hush puppies.
- Hot oil, small scoops: Big scoops at low heat give pale, raw centres. Walnut-sized at 170°C gives even gold.
Storage
- Best fresh. Re-crisp at 200°C 5 minutes if needed.
- Don't refrigerate - texture goes wrong.
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