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Cornmeal, a little flour, grated onion, buttermilk. Dropped by the spoonful into 365°F oil. Done in three minutes.
Hush puppies came out of the same fish-fry tradition that gave us cornmeal-crusted catfish and beer in mason jars. The story goes that cooks fried up cornmeal scraps to throw at the dogs and shut them up. The dogs are quiet and the cooks are eating them now.
The base is cornmeal-heavy and barely held together with flour and buttermilk. Allrecipes' top-rated Hush Puppies III nails the ratio at three parts cornmeal to one part flour with grated onion in the batter. The Hurricane Bay HB-4 holds 365°F across a full basket because 4 gallons of oil doesn't move much when 12 dough balls hit it.
★ The Cornmeal Pairing
Pearl Milling Company is the cornmeal that used to wear the Aunt Jemima label and it is still the standard for any Southern fryer cook. The yellow cornmeal gives hush puppies the right color and a slightly sweeter flavor than white. One bag makes about three batches of hush puppies for a fish fry.
Member's Mark Peanut OilIn a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Use a whisk to break up any cornmeal clumps so the batter is even.
In a smaller bowl, beat the egg and stir it into the buttermilk along with the grated onion and its juices. Don't drain the onion, the liquid is part of the flavor.
Pour the wet into the dry and stir just until you don't see streaks of dry cornmeal. The batter should be thick enough to hold a soft mound on a spoon. Let it rest 5 minutes while the oil heats.
Fill the Hurricane Bay HB-4 with 4 gallons of peanut oil and bring it to 365°F, about 12 to 14 minutes from cold. Hush puppies need a slightly cooler oil than fries so the inside cooks before the outside burns.
Use two metal spoons to scoop and drop rough tablespoon-sized balls of batter directly into the hot oil. Drop 8 to 10 at a time. The HB-4 has the volume to handle a basket without crashing temperature.
Fry for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, turning with a slotted spoon if any settle without rolling. They will float to the top and turn deep golden brown when done.
Lift onto a paper-towel-lined sheet pan and salt them right away while they are hot. They lose their crisp fast under foil so serve them within 10 minutes.
Wait 60 to 90 seconds for the oil to recover to 365°F before the next drop. The 90,000 BTU burner climbs back fast.
The Hurricane Bay HB-4: 4 gallons, 90,000 BTU, 12-gauge American steel, V-drain. The fryer this recipe was tested in.
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