Hush Puppies Recipe

Hushpuppies (Cornbread Balls) are a savory, starch-based food made from cornmeal batter that is deep fried or baked in small ball or sphere shapes, or occasionally oblong or ring shapes. Hushpuppies are frequently served as a side dish.

Hushpuppies are a food with strong ties to the American South, although they are available in many areas of America on the menus of deep fried fish restaurants. The name “hushpuppies” is often attributed to hunters, fishermen or other cooks who would fry some basic cornmeal mixture (possibly that they had been bread-coating or battering their own food with) and feed it to their dogs to “hush the puppies” during cook-outs or fish-fries. Also, runaway slaves would feed them to the guard dogs of their owners in order to “hush the puppies”.

 

Recipe from Chitterlings.com

Ingredients:

• 2 cups yellow corn meal
• 1 cup plain flour (flour is what gave it the
• lighter taste and you can experiment with the
• amount you use if you want)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk (you can also use plain milk in
• a pinch, but nothing compares to buttermilk)
• 3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt. I use Lowreys but just
• about any brand will work as you are just looking
• for something to spice things up a little
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper blend (again, the idea
• is to spice things up a little).
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2/3 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 cup bacon grease. This is another big key to the flavor. In a pinch you can use other types of cooking oil, but bacon is my favorite.

You also need some type of cooking oil to deep fry
these in such as Crisco oil although peanut oil
and some of the lower fat oils work well too.

Directions

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add your
eggs, oil, and buttermilk. Stir it all up until
the flavors are thoroughly blended.

Turn your cooker on medium-high heat. When it’s
hot you can drop your hush puppies in using a
table spoon. Allow them to brown on all sides.
They should begin floating when done, but if they
don’t, don’t overcook them.