Hush Puppies

Name: Hush Puppies
Ingredients: Oil for frying; 2 cups stone-ground white cornmeal; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon Homemade Baking Powder; 1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt; ½ cup grated onion; ¼ cup thinly sliced green onion; 1 egg yolk; 1½–2 cups buttermilk; 3 egg whites

Contributors

Cookbook

The Gift of Southern Cooking: Recipes and Revelations from Two Great Southern Cooks

Published by Knopf

View

This image courtesy of Joseph DeLeo

Hush puppies, an essential component of fried-fish plates, are made from a cornmeal batter similar to the fritters, including eggs and baking powder, except they have no beaten egg whites. There are many explanations for the name “hush puppies”—the most common referring to the scraps of fried corn dough thrown to hungry hounds to hush them.

Cooking Methodfrying

CostInexpensive

Easy

Total Timeunder 30 minutes

Make Ahead RecipeYes

Kid FriendlyYes

One Pot MealYes

OccasionCasual Dinner Party, Family Get-together

Recipe Courseside dish

Dietary Considerationpeanut free, soy free, tree nut free, vegetarian

Equipmentelectric mixer

Five Ingredients or LessYes

Mealdinner

Taste and Texturesavory

Type of Dishcorn bread

Ingredients

Oil for frying
2 cups stone-ground white cornmeal
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Homemade Baking Powder
1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup grated onion
¼ cup thinly sliced green onion
1 egg yolk
1½–2 cups buttermilk
3 egg whites

Instructions

Start slowly heating at least 3 inches of cooking oil until it reaches 340°F. Meanwhile, put the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl, and whisk to blend. Add the grated and sliced onions, egg yolk, and 1½ cups of the buttermilk. Stir vigorously until the batter is well blended and the consistency of loose mashed potatoes. If it is too stiff, add more buttermilk.(The finer the grind of the cornmeal, the more liquid you will need.)
Whip the egg whites in an immaculate bowl until they begin to mound (not stiff peaks). Quickly fold the beaten whites into the batter. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls into the heated oil. Puppies usually roll over on their bellies when they are done, but you may need to turn them to be sure they cook evenly. Fry until golden brown all over, then remove with a slotted spoon, and drain well on a rack or crumpled paper towels.