#dirtyspoon

Southern Hush Puppies

Every Southerner knows there is no better side to a plate of fried shrimp than a basket of hush puppies. In fact, you’ll even find them at some of our favorite barbecue joints. Serve these two-bite, deep-fried nuggets with reddish-brown spots (from the cornmeal) plain or smother them in butter or dunk them in cocktail sauce, comeback sauce, malt vinegar mignonette, or buttermilk ranch herb sauce.Over the years, the Southern Living Test Kitchen has developed multiple twists on the traditional recipe, from crab cakes to shrimp and okra hush puppies. We even tested making an all-cornmeal version that was good – but nothing like the iconic way to make hush puppies. No matter what hush puppies are mde of, the truth is that the really good hush puppies are never soggy or greasy. And while Southerners all have their favorite tasty twists, nothing will ever beat the classic.Hush puppies are made from a six-ingredient batter, which includes cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and sugar. They are dropped– and you want them to be fully submerged–by spoonfuls into a pot filled with piping hot oil to cook. When it comes to the pot, our Test Kitchen likes to fry them in either a 6-qt. Dutch oven or a deep cast-iron skillet. And when it comes to the spoon, use a soup spoon or a 1 tablespoon-measure ice cream scoop. Deep fry them on each side for about three minutes, flipping them over with a slotted spoon or frying utensil. Once golden brown, transport the nuggets to a paper towel. Make them by the dozen and serve them immediately.