SOUTHERN CORNMEAL HUSHPUPPIES
Hushpuppies are a summer staple, especially with fried fish; it’s the perfect combination!
Why You’ll Love These Hushpuppies
These are deep fried delicious cornmeal balls that are super versatile. Normally, they are served with fried fish, coleslaw, and French fries, and they are a real treat! These little treats are very versatile and the perfect addition to your summer fish fry!
Why The Name Hushpuppy?
1. Confederate soldiers used their corn biscuit rations to feed to their dogs to quiet them in order to avoid detection from Union soldiers, hence the phrase hushing the puppies.
2. It is believed that while cooking fried foods with batter outside such as fish, balls of batter were fried and given to the dogs to keep them from begging or barking, thus the name “hush puppies”.
3. (This one is my favorite. I am a Kentuckian and it makes sense to me.) They were fried up to toss to the dogs to keep them quiet while the “revenooers” were snooping around looking for stills. Whatever explanation, fried catfish just isn’t the same without hushpuppies.
Are They Versatile?
Yes, you can add jalapeños, green pepper, and any spices you like! We love the onion grated or chopped very fine and we make them with yellow cornmeal but some prefer white. We love to cook with buttermilk, but others will replace that with beer.
Other Delicious Recipes:
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Southern Cornmeal Hushpuppies
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons white granulated sugar optional
- 1/2 of a medium onion finely chopped or grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh chives chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with spoon. The batter should be just wet enough that you can shape it into balls about the size of a walnut with your hands and it sticks together.
- Have oil hot in a skillet and drop hushpuppies into oil. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes browning on all sides. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Notes
© The Southern Lady Cooks photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.
the first time I ever had Hush Puppies, many, many years ago on vacation in Virginia, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. they are delicious. being from Wisconsin, yummies like that weren’t even a thought back then.
Thank you…so many wonderful helps!!!!
That’s the wonderful thing about hush puppies…you can add so many different ingredients in them and they always turn out great!
Just like I do except for cayenne pepper……the beer makes them light and fuffly
This is the way I make mine, but I add a little green bell pepper and I add a little oil to the batter.
These look good!
I put a jalapeno, diced sweet onions, and grated cheddar cheese in my hush puppies .
Once out of desperation I used salsa in the batter (I usually add some ketchup) and found this to be the best addition ever!
Sounds good Lia. I like to dip them in salsa anyway.
If you fry your hushpuppies in deep oil they will turn themselves over when they are brown enough and brown the other side. No foolin!
I have even added a bet of hot sauce to them just as to add a little falvor.
I prefer to use white cornmeal for these and I use a grater for the onion so u don’t get onion pieces in the puppy!
Love me some good homemade hushpuppies! Ever added kernel corn to them? Great dipped in homemade jalapeno nacho sauce. Wish I had some right now with a big ol’ platter of fried catfish!!
Another one I have heard is that when slaves were escaping north during the civil war they would feed these to the dogs to aid their escape.
Without ever having had the real thing before, I have tried to make these, except I always used baking powder to make them puff up just because I imagined them puffing up as they are being fried. Is that ever done, not done, or is there some other property that makes them puff up?
You can use baking powder if you like. I just make them into balls and they seem to stay the same size I make them. If you use the beer instead of milk they are lighter and fluffier.
I’ll have to try them this way..