Whether you’re hosting a fish fry or a shrimp boil, be sure to serve fresh fried, golden Hush Puppies! They’re yummy, crunchy cornmeal bites!
Hush Puppies are the perfect poppable bites of slightly sweet cornbread that balance the salty richness of BBQs and Fish Frys! Bring out your flour, cornmeal, other pantry staples, buttermilk, eggs, and high-temperature oil to make the best Hush Puppies for your next fish night!
Good Puppies
I’m sure you’ve heard the lore surrounding the name “Hush Puppies,” and often, this famous name is believed to have originated with either cooks, cattle drivers, or Civil War soldiers tossing fried cornbread to dogs or kids to get them to quiet down. Now, I don’t know about dogs, but my kids and I for sure won’t speak for at least five minutes when chowing down on these amazing Hush Puppies! Fried cornbread batter creates a great crispy breading with a fluffy middle that has just the right amount of sweetness to compliment all the heavy dishes served on the fish night or at a BBQ.
Cornbread is a wonderful addition to any meal, so try Sweet Honey Cornbread with more weeknight meals, or kick it up a notch on the flavor scale and make a batch of Honey Jalapeno Cornbread Drop Biscuits!
Other Recipes to Serve with Hush Puppies
- On the next perfect summer night, take your popular Shrimp Boil way over the top with homemade hush puppies!
- Put away those french fries and dig into these puppies when you make Fish Fillet Sandwiches with Homemade Tartar Sauce!
Ingredients
Pantry Items: For this recipe, you will need all-purpose flour, yellow cornmeal, baking powder, granulated sugar, and baking soda.
Refrigerated Items: Grab some buttermilk and a couple of eggs for the batter.
Seasoning: This recipe keeps it simple and only requires a little Kosher salt and onion powder.
Oil: Be sure to have high-temp oil, such as peanut, vegetable, or Canola, for frying.
How to Make Hush Puppies
STEP ONE: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and baking soda.
STEP TWO: Whisk together the buttermilk and eggs in a separate medium bowl. Stir the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
STEP THREE: Refrigerate the batter for at least an hour. After the batter has chilled, set your oven to “warm” or its lowest setting.
STEP FOUR: In a large, deep-sided skillet or Dutch oven, add 2 inches of oil and heat to 350 degrees F. Once hot, drop the batter by the tablespoon into the oil and cook in batches until they are golden brown and crispy. Do not overcrowd the pot.
STEP FIVE: Remove the crispy hush puppies with a metal slotted spoon or spider strainer and drain them on a paper towel-lined plate.
STEP SIX: Transfer the drained hush puppies to a baking sheet in the oven to stay warm while the rest cook. Serve them warm, sprinkled with a little chopped parsley, lemon wedges, and tartar sauce for dipping.
Tips for Success
- If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, then make your own! Add one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup and enough milk to reach the 1 1/4 cup mark. Stir the milk and set it for a few minutes while mixing the dry ingredients.
- One of the main and most important keys to great hush puppies is cooking them in oil at the right heat. The oil that is too hot will quickly cook the outside but not the inside, and if the oil is not hot enough, the hush puppy batter will soak up the oil instead, creating soggy-ish, oily bites. Attach a cooking thermometer to the pot’s inside to keep the oil around 350 degrees F.
- Store any leftover hush puppies on the counter in an airtight container for 3-4 days or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also toss the hush puppies on a sheet to quickly freeze and once frozen, place them in a freezer bag and store them for up to 3 months. To reheat the hush puppies, pop them into the microwave or better yet, an air fryer, and heat until warm.
What is hush puppy batter made of?
The recipe here is very similar to most Hush Puppy recipes you can find, with a small but noticeable difference. Most Hush Puppy recipes call for cornmeal, flour, and baking powder, and they typically include grated onion, which gives the Hush Puppy its iconic flavor.
As you can see from this recipe, however, onion powder is used instead to keep the texture more consistent and smooth without small bits of onion.
Many recipes include savory additions such as cheddar, bacon, andouille sausage, or jalapenos. Whether you keep it simple or add more delightful ingredients, Hush Puppies are the perfect side for every fish or BBQ night!
What is the difference between a fritter and a hush puppy?
As you’ve already read, Hush Puppies are pretty simple, and the basic recipe uses mostly powdery ingredients like flour and cornmeal to make poppable-sized bites. Fritters are much larger, flatter, and have more of a pancake shape.
Rather than using cornmeal, fritters are made with flour and corn kernels, and they’re usually pan-fried instead of deep-fried. Corn fritters can also be made using a variety of chopped or shredded veggies, like zucchini, bok choy, or scallions, but Hush Puppies are only ever made with cornmeal.
More Delicious Corn Recipes to Love!
- Corn Fritters
- Slow Cooker Cheddar Jalapeno Corn Casserole
- Grilled Corn on the Cob
- Southern Fried Corn
- Grilled Corn with Honey Chili Lime Butter
*This post was originally posted on 09/21/2018.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 heaping tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (see note)
- 2 large eggs
- Canola oil or peanut oil for frying
- Tartar sauce for serving
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, yellow cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, salt, and onion powder. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs until evenly combined. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. (Do not overmix the batter.)
- Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour (up to 24 hours).
- When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to the “warm” setting (about 200 degrees F).
- Pour 2 inches of canola oil into a high-sided Dutch oven or other heavy-bottom pot. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees F.
- Carefully drop 1 tablespoon of batter into the hot oil. Continue dropping in the batter, working in batches, being mindful not to overcrowd the pot. Fry for 3-4 minutes until the outsides are a crispy, golden brown.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked hush puppies to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Transfer to a baking sheet placed in the warm oven to keep the cooked hush puppies warm until all the batter is fried.
- Transfer the hush puppies to a serving platter and serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce for dipping, if desired.
Jimbo99 says
Finished product is missing something and I deducted a star for that. Just needs some golden yellow corn kernel giblets mixed in with the batter.
bill says
If you’ve ever eaten hush puppies at a Captain D’s restaurant, you’ve noticed that they’re soft on the outside. I wonder how they do that.
Cecil says
Just a guess but a steam cabinet would be used for keeping them hot and moist