History
Before hushpuppies were popular the closest thing you could find was something South Carolinians called “red horse bread”; it was named this due to the common red horse fish that was caught and ate at fish fry’s. “Hush puppies first got national attention thanks to a bunch of tourists fishing down in Florida. In 1934, Pennsylvania's Harrisburg Sunday Courier ran a travel piece about central Florida, where the author fished at Mr. Joe Brown's camp on Lake Harris near Orlando. "Brown can cook," the writer declared, and his menu included fried fish, French fried potatoes, "and a delicious cornbread concoction which Brown called 'Hush Puppies'." (Moss)
Course: Appetizers
Cuisine: Southern
Yield: 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Author: The Southern Spice Rack
Ingredients
· 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, plus additional for frying
· 2/3 cup buttermilk
· 1 large egg
· 1 cup of flour
· 1 cup of yellow cornmeal
· 2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
· ½ teaspoons baking soda
· 2 teaspoons of kosher salt
· 2 teaspoons of black pepper
· 1 teaspoon of sugar
· ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
· 6 oz. lump crab meat
· 3 scallions thinly sliced, optional for garnish
· For the aioli
· ½ cup mayonnaise
· ¼ cup siracha (or to taste for spice level)
· 2 tablespoons salt
· 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
1. In a large pot heat two inches of vegetable oil to 375°F.
2. Mix the buttermilk, egg, and 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cayenne together.
4. Add in the buttermilk mixture and whisk until just combines. Gently fold in the crab meat, be sure not to over mix.
5. When the frying oil is at 375°F drop heaping tablespoons of your batter gently into the oil. Be sure not to crowd the pot and that your hushpuppies are not touching the bottom. Fry until golden brown and cooked through, about four minutes. Let excess oil drain on a paper towel lined pan. Repeat with remaining batter.
6. To make the aioli, mix the mayonnaise, siracha, salt, and lemon juice. Refrigerate and hold up two three days.
7. Garnish hushpuppies with scallions and serve with siracha aioli.
Cite : Moss, Robert. “The Real History of Hushpuppies.” Seriouseats.com, Serious Eats, 15 June 2015, www.seriouseats.com/2015/06/real-history-myths-hushpuppies.html. Accessed 27 Jan. 2021.
King, C. (2018, November 1). Southern Hush Puppies. Pudge Factor.