Description

Southern Hush Puppies are crispy, golden-fried cornmeal balls bursting with flavor from finely diced onions and jalapeños, seasoned with Creole spices. These savory bites are perfect as a side dish or appetizer, traditionally enjoyed alongside seafood or barbecue. The batter is quick to prepare and the hush puppies are fried until perfectly crisp on the outside while remaining tender and moist inside.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal (yellow or white)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon all-purpose Creole seasoning

Wet Ingredients & Add-ins

1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, beaten
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1 large jalapeño, de-seeded and de-veined, finely diced

For Frying

Canola oil (about 4 cups, for frying)

Instructions

Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 200°F to keep the hush puppies warm after frying. Prepare a wire baking rack set inside a paper towel-lined baking sheet for draining excess oil.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl or measuring cup, combine the self-rising cornmeal, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and Creole seasoning thoroughly.
Add Wet Ingredients and Mix: To the dry mixture, add the buttermilk, beaten egg, finely diced onion, and jalapeño. Stir just enough to incorporate all ingredients, then allow the batter to rest while you heat the oil.
Heat Oil for Frying: In a large Dutch oven or cast iron skillet, pour 3-4 cups of canola oil to a depth of about 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Heat oil over high heat until hot—test by dropping a pinch of cornmeal; it should sizzle immediately. If using a thermometer, target 365°F.
Fry Hush Puppies: Using a cookie scoop, scoop batter and gently drop 8-10 hush puppies at a time into the hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally so each hush puppy browns evenly on all sides. Adjust heat as needed to maintain oil temperature, usually lowering to medium during the first batch.
Drain and Keep Warm: Transfer the golden brown hush puppies to the prepared wire rack to drain excess oil. Place the rack and baking sheet in the preheated oven to keep them warm while frying remaining batches.
Serve: Serve the hush puppies hot and enjoy as a flavorful side or snack.

Notes

Be careful with the oil temperature; too hot will burn the hush puppies, too cool will make them greasy.
Removing seeds and veins from jalapeños controls the heat level; keep them in if you like spicier hush puppies.
Using a cookie scoop helps keep hush puppies uniformly sized for even frying.
Self-rising cornmeal already contains leavening agents, so no additional baking powder is needed.
Drain hush puppies well on a wire rack rather than paper towels to keep them crispy.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Side Dish
Method: Frying
Cuisine: Southern American

Keywords: southern hush puppies, fried cornmeal balls, creole hush puppies, crispy hush puppies, southern side dish, fried snack