Southern Hush Puppies

Hush Puppies – deep-fried balls of cornmeal. They’re a Southern staple and usually served with some kind of seafood dish or along side other fried foods. These are not healthy in any way and are a very extra special treat that I loved eating tonight with my Cajun Shrimp Étouffée.

I was craving something crunchy to eat along side my étouffée, and seeing as how it’s Fat Tuesday, these were the perfect treat! They are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Like cornbread, only with a crunch on the outside! And you KNOW I love love love all things cornbread/corn muffin, so it’s of no surprise I love these little fried dough balls.

Oh, and not that they need anything else, but a little bit of hot butter smeared on top puts these over the top!

What’s your favorite Southern dish? Tell me in the comments below!

Southern Hush Puppies

Servings: 4-6
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups fine-or medium-grind cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 small yellow onion, grated
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
4 cups peanut or vegetable oil, for deep frying
Salted butter, for serving

Directions

Line a large plate with a double layer of paper towels. Set aside.
Whisk cornmeal, all-purpose flour, kosher salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
Grate 1/2 small yellow onion on the large holes of a box grater (about 1/4 cup) and add to a small bowl. Add 1 large egg and 1 cup buttermilk to the onion and stir until combined. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Add enough peanut or vegetable oil to a Dutch oven for a depth of 1 1/2 inches (about 4 cups). Heat over medium-high heat to 365 degrees. Use a small scoop to drop golf ball-sized rounds (about 2 tablespoons each) of the batter into the oil, about 5 at a time. Make sure not to crowd the pot which will cause the oil temperature to drop. Turn the hush puppies frequently with a slotted spoon or tongs until deeply browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes.
Transfer with a slotted spoon to the paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining batter, adjusting the heat to maintain the oil temperature. Serve hot with salted butter. Enjoy!