Mom's Best Hush Puppies

If you grew up in the American South, hush puppies need no introduction. These deep-fried cornmeal fritters were the unofficial standard accompaniment to a fish fry, with the legend going that fishermen tossed them to barking dogs around the camp to keep them quiet, hence the name. Whether or not the story is true, the dish stuck.

The batter is closer to a thick pancake batter than a true dough. The cornmeal does most of the heavy lifting, with just a quarter cup of flour adding enough gluten to bind everything without making the inside cakey.

Don’t overmix. Stir until the dry ingredients are barely moistened and stop, even if the batter looks lumpy. Overworked batter gives tough, gummy hush puppies; lumpy batter gives the tender corny crumb you want.

Oil temperature is everything. 375F (190C) is the sweet spot. Lower and the puppies absorb oil and turn greasy; higher and the outsides brown before the insides cook through. Use a thermometer if you have one, or test with a single drop of batter (it should sizzle and rise immediately).

Fry only a few at a time. Crowding the oil drops the temperature fast, leaving the next batch greasy and undercooked.

Serve hot from the fryer with fried catfish, coleslaw, and tartar sauce for the full Southern fish fry experience.

Pro Tips

• Use stone-ground cornmeal if you can find it. The flavor is deeper and the texture more rustic than fine cornmeal.
• Drop batter from a small ice cream scoop or two spoons. Uniform size means uniform cooking.
• Drain on a wire rack instead of paper towels. Towels trap steam and make the bottoms soggy.
• Salt immediately after frying. Salt sticks to the hot oil-glazed surface; cool puppies refuse seasoning.

Variations

• Stir in ½ cup grated cheddar cheese and a chopped jalapeno for spicy cheese hush puppies.
• Add 2 strips of crumbled crisp bacon for a smoky upgrade.
• Sub buttermilk for the regular milk for a tangier, more tender result.