Often served with fried fish, Hushpuppiesare a classic southern side dish!
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I say it quite often. “Shut it down, Max.” Or sometimes it’s, “Seriously, Max? What are you barking at?” Our dog Max (a 30-pound, white cockapoo) has always loved a good window. In my apartment in Baton Rouge, he’d climb on the back of the couch and then lean off so he could look out the window. And he’d sit there for hours watching as my neighbors came home from work. (He’d bark when he recognized someone.)
The front living room in our house has full-length windows facing the street. That means Max just needs to stand there and look out. He watches the mailman go by each day. He keeps an eye on the neighbor when he’s working in his yard. He yells at the UPS man. And God forbid someone actually ring the doorbell. They’d probably think a 100-pound attack dog is about to come barreling through that door!
And no matter how many times I tell him to hush, he doesn’t listen. He’s a stubborn dog, but we love him! I’m thinking a good batch of hushpuppies would helpdistract Max from his self-appointed guard dog position. Hushpuppies are a classic Southern food. They’re essentially just fried cornbread batter, but man are they delicious!
According to legend, fishermenwould fry up bits of the leftover cornbreadbatter from dinner and then give it to their dogs as a snack. “Hush, puppy” soon become hushpuppies. Some folks will tell you that the term actuallycame about in the Civil War when soldiers wanted to keep their dogs quiet. As with many such regional foods, the realorigin is murky. And you know what? I’m ok with that. At the end of the day, hushpuppies are easy to make and quite delicious!
Hushpuppies are typically served as a side dish with fried fish. After all, nothing beats a fried main course like a fried side dish, too, right? And since they often show up at fish fries, hushpuppies are typically served with tartar sauce for dipping. But when it comes to the sauce, I say do what you want to do. I didn’t care for tartar sauce when I was a kid, so I dipped mine in ketchup. These might as well have been called hushsons because a basket of hushpuppies with a side of ketchup would always shut me right up.
Hushpuppies are an iconic southern side dish, and they’re a bit hard to find here in the northeast. We have a couple of fish fry restaurants near us, but sadly they don’t offer hushpuppies. So I decided to just make my own here at home. Laura walked in from work, took one look at the plate on the counter and said, “Hold up…are those hushpuppies?” Sure enough! If you can’t find hushpuppies near you (or if you’ve got a dog who barks a lot), then just whip up a batch at home! Enjoy!
*On a side note, hushpuppies are not actually safe for dogs as they include onions. Just make your pups a batch of homemade dog bones instead!
Southern Hushpuppies
Often served with fried fish, Hushpuppies are a classic southern side dish!
Using a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt).
In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, grated onion and green onions. Pour mixture into bowl with dry ingredients and stir just until combined. (Note: Do not overmix or hush puppies will be tough.) Let mixture stand for 10 minutes.
Using a deep fryer or a large Dutch oven, heat the canola or vegetable oil to 375°F. Oil should be ~2-3” deep. (An easy way to check the temperature is to drop a pinch of flour in the oil. If it bubbles up and turns brown quickly, then the oil is ready to go.)
Using two spoons or a small ice cream scoop, drop rounded tablespoons of batter into oil. (Tip: Fry these hush puppies in batches of 8-10 to avoid overcrowding pan.)
Fry until golden brown (~3-4 minutes).
Using a metal slotted spoon, remove hush puppies from the oil and let drain on paper towels or brown paper bags.
Salt lightly and then serve with tartar sauce for dipping.
If made from just cornmeal, hush puppies will fall apart in the oil. If too much flour is used, the hush puppies become heavy, dense, and bread-like. After much experimentation, I landed on a 3:1 ratio: 1 1/2 cups cornmeal to 1/2 cup flour.
In the 1720s, French Ursuline nuns freshly arrived in New Orleans utilized cornmeal from the local Native Americans and fashioned hand-shaped fritters that they named croquettes de maise (that is, corn croquettes).
In fact, the Carolinas can proudly claim to be the birthplace of this now-iconic American food. A hushpuppy is a simple treat—thick cornmeal batter dropped in spheres (or nuggets or fingers) into hot oil and fried till crisp and brown. But the origin of the name . . . well, that's where it all goes to the dogs.
Instructions. In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and sugar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
The main difference is that cornbread is baked and hush puppies are fried, hence the difference in texture—though hush puppies can be air fryed, too. "Typically hush puppy batter is a little thicker than cornbread batter, but that is just a matter of moisture. The basic ingredients are the same," Matijevich said.
Hush puppies are commonly served as sides to barbecue platters and fried seafood, particularly across the American South. Hush puppies are a fine match for seafood dishes such as beer-battered fish, crab cakes, coconut shrimp and homemade fish sticks.
This sriracha sour cream dip is my go-to dipping sauce for hush puppies, burgers, veggie patties, and so many more. You'll only need to stir together sour cream, sriracha and mustard, plus a pinch of salt. This easy dip is the perfect mix of creamy and slightly spicy, and makes any dish better.
To ensure a perfect fit, Hush Puppies offers a variety of widths. When browsing our online store, be sure to check the width options available for each style. Additionally, many of our authorized retailers also carry wide-width shoes.
Hush Puppies is an American brand of casual footwear. A division of Wolverine World Wide, Hush Puppies is headquartered in Rockford, Michigan. Wolverine also licenses the Hush Puppies name for apparel, toys and accessories. Hush Puppies uses a basset hound named Jason as its logo.
The Judge had initially rejected the plea of the defendant's motion for a delay of judgement. On 8 November 2022, Hushpuppi was sentenced to over 11 years (135 months) in a federal prison. He is currently imprisoned at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey and has a scheduled release date of 6 August 2029.
Fresh shrimp, crab and more served up with a helping of light, corn-studded puffs of fried cornmeal batter will satisfy your appetite as well as your expectations for something filling and delicious.
In the case of hushpuppies, the story goes, Confederate soldiers making dinner around a campfire heard Yankee soldiers approaching, so they tossed their yapping dogs some fried cornmeal cakes and ordered them to "hush, puppies!"
Typical hushpuppy ingredients include cornmeal, wheat flour, eggs, salt, baking soda, milk or buttermilk, and water, and may include onion, spring onion (scallion), garlic, whole kernel corn, and peppers.
Hushpuppies can be a modest source of essential vitamins and minerals. They often contain small amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron, which play vital roles in supporting overall health and well-being.
Traditional hush puppies do not have meat in them – remember the tales of how they came to be. The best part about this hush puppy appetizer is how easy it is to throw together, how simple the ingredient list is, and how delicious they taste!
Introduction: My name is Neely Ledner, I am a bright, determined, beautiful, adventurous, adventurous, spotless, calm person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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