Jalapeno Hush Puppies

2012-03-23

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At any given time, my husband could show up at our house with just-caught catfish. Or, our freezer in the garage could have an entire shelf dedicated to frozen fish he’s pulled in from one of our Oklahoma lakes.

One night this summer, early on before the water all dried up, We cut up a giant catfish he’d caught and went outside to fry it up. There aren’t too many evenings in the Wonderful household that we fry anything. But fresh caught catfish lightly breaded in some cornmeal and spices is wondrous all by itself…

Or with Hush Puppies.

I had no idea how easy they were to make at home.

First you have to bring a large pot of oil to 365º. Or, if you have one of those neat deep-fryer things, use that. I would love but..

#1 My hips would NOT love it and are crying out for more treadmill time.

#2 I have no idea where it would fit in my kitchen cupboards which are already crying out for more room.

A large heavy pot works just fine as a substitute. We used canola oil but you could use vegetable oil as well.

In a large mixing bowl, dump in one and one-half cups of cornmeal, one-half cup of flour, one teaspoon of baking powder, and a tablespoon of sugar. Also in 1/4 cup of finely chopped onion and one large jalepeno chopped fine. I removed the seeds and ribs from the jalapeno by scraping them out with a spoon tip after I cut the pepper in half. My family are spice pansies and they wouldn’t like things TOO hot. But you can leave them in if you like.

Don’t worry! The addition of jalapenos are not too hot here! It just lends a nice little kick to your hush puppies.

In a separate bowl, crack two eggs and add 1/2 cup of milk, whisk it together.

Dump it right into the other stuff you added to the large bowl.

Mix this all up.

And then decide to be really brave and add in 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper into the mix. I PROMISE YOU! It’s not too hot. I’m a real wimp when it comes to spicy and I loved these.

This all came together in about one minute or less. How easy is that?

Now, take a teaspoon or a cookie dough scoop and scoop up some of the dough.

Be very careful and hold the scoop or spoon down close to the oil and gently drop the batter into the oil.

And then continue to keep doing just like you did with the first one. We did about 10 at one time. Be careful not to add too many so your oil doesn’t cool down too quickly.

And let these go and bubble away.

Pretty soon, they float to the top and get nice and golden brown.

This will take about two to two and one-half minutes.At this point, scoop them out with a slotted spoon.

And dump them gently into a paper towel-lined plate or bowl. Mr. Wonderful used this cooling rack.

Look at those little darlings would you!?

If you want to, sprinkle them with a little salt while they’re fresh out of the oil. Then make another batch until the batter is all gone.

Your family will be watching with baited breath.

Okay, that little guy may actually have fish bait breath..but still, he KNOWS what’s good!

Next time you fry up some fish, try these semi-spicy little balls of crispy goodness alongside your catch. The traditional way to eat them is to break them open and spread them with a touch of butter, but I like them just like this.

Katie’s Printable Recipe - Jalapeno Hush Puppies

Katie's love of cooking and eating good food has led her down a path of fun filled friend and family gatherings around the kitchen. She is an Oklahoma Food blogger, TV food personality for Freedom43tv, author of Food Lovers's Guide to Oklahoma and lover of all all the good things of life!