Lisa’s Hush Puppies are crunchy, soft, and sweet. The best kind of crunch – just before you bite into the pillowy softness of the interior. The best kind of sweet – just enough sugar to liven the cornmeal flavor. She will be making them over and over again. Hopefully for me and Ron!
Lisa’s Hush Puppies
Ingredients
- 138 grams coarse ground cornmeal
- 71 grams Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Mix
- 2 T granulated sugar
- ½ t baking powder
- ½ t kosher salt
- 1 t cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ¾ cup buttermilk (or use whole milk with 1½ tsp of vinegar mixed in)
- ½ small onion
- Wesson oil
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients – Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cayenne pepper in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients and stir into the cornmeal mixture – In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, and buttermilk. Grate the onion. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients along with the grated onion and its juices, stirring until combined.
- Fry the hush puppies – Heat 2 inches of oil over medium-high heat in a large dutch oven until it reaches 375°F on a digital thermometer. Carefully drop spoonfuls of the batter into the oil, working in batches so as to not overcrowd the pan. Fry for 2-3 minutes, turning partway through with a wire spatula, until the hush puppies are golden brown.
- Serve warm – Pull the hush puppies out of the oil and transfer to a wire rack on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
Notes
It was such fun standing by Lisa‘s side watching her methodically work through the alchemy of turning such simple ingredients into something so delectable.
The batter started out looking quite thin but it thickened up in no time. She was also making fried flounder, so we started with the hush puppy batter, pivoted to breading the fish while the batter was blooming, then turned back to the hush puppies. Lisa carefully dropped spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil, and we watched them transform. Amazing! She stashed them in a warming oven while she finished frying the fish. I made the tarter sauce and assembled the salad. John set the table. I think Lisa has found her signature dish!
The we sat down to eat – it was amazing. We were worried about some of Lisa’s Hush Puppies being too dark, but when we bit into them we found that the darker ones had the best texture. Every last bite was wonderful. I think Jiffy was jealous. Hush, puppy!
