hushpuppies

Let's just say my diet as an adult is drastically different than the diet I had as a kid growing up in North Carolina. Don't get me wrong, I have nostalgia for the fried chicken, cornbread, overcooked beans, and sweet tea that I had in my youth, but haven't eaten most of that in many years.

But sometimes, I get the urge to eat something from my childhood.

Like the other night. I was making crab cakes with tartar sauce and decided that we absolutely had to have hushpuppies to go with them. Those little fried bits of dough that I always ate with my fried calabash shrimp as a kid. When done right, they are just the perfect combination of sweet and savory, and really quick to make.

Note: You can add corn kernels in addition to the cornmeal, and add diced onion instead of onion powder, but I make these the way I remember them, which is with no hint of vegetables in them.

Hushpuppies

Makes about 24 Tablespoon sized puppies

Ingredients:

Canola oil

1 cup all purpose flour

2 cups yellow cornmeal

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp onion powder (or 1/2 of an onion, finely chopped)

1/4-1/2 cup milk

To Make:

1. Fill a heavy bottomed pan or pot with about 2"-3" of canola oil (you want the oil to cover the hushpuppies when you drop them in). Start heating the oil over medium heat.

2. Prepare the dough.  In a bowl, mix the flour, corn meal, sugar, salt, baking powder, and onion powder with a whisk until combined. Add the milk, starting with 1/4 cup. Mix in just to combine, the dough should hold together when formed into spoon sized balls. (Only add more milk if needed.)

3. Drop spoonfuls of the dough into the oil and allow to fry, untouched, for about 5 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove from oil with a strainer and put on a paper towel lined sheet to drain.

These don't keep well, so only make what you'll eat.

Enjoy!