American · Side · Easy
Hush Puppies
Little golden puffs of cornmeal batter with a crisp shell and a soft, almost creamy center. The fish-fry legend that was supposedly tossed to barking hounds to hush them.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Hush Puppies, in 5 ideas
- Keep the batter thick enough to hold a scoop shape; thin batter makes greasy, flat puffs.
- Chopped onion gives the classic flavor, but keep the pieces small so the batter stays together.
- Fry at 175C exactly, too cool and they soak up oil, too hot and the centers stay raw.
- Use two small spoons or a 1-tablespoon scoop for even, evenly cooking pieces.
- Drain on a rack and salt while hot, then serve immediately with remoulade or honey butter.
What you need
Ingredients
- 120g fine yellow cornmeal
- 60g all-purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg
- 120ml buttermilk
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 60g finely diced yellow onion
- 500ml vegetable oil, for frying
How to make it
Directions
- Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cayenne in a large bowl.
- In a second bowl, whisk the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, then fold in the diced onion. Rest the batter for 10 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a heavy pot to 175C. Test with a small drop of batter: it should sizzle and rise steadily, not violently.
- Scoop 1-tablespoon portions of batter and gently drop them into the oil, frying 6 to 8 at a time. Turn occasionally and fry for 3 to 4 minutes until deep golden all over.
- Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack. Sprinkle with a little extra salt and serve hot.
Cornmeal keeps for ages in the freezer and costs a fraction of fancy flour. Buy a big bag, keep it cold, and hush puppies become one of the cheapest sides you can make from scratch.