Name: Hushpuppies
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: SouthernAmerican
Ingredients: 3/4 cup cornmeal; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour , plus extra as needed; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 3/4 teaspoon table salt; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 3/4 cup buttermilk; 2 large eggs; 1/4 cup minced onion; 2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil , for frying

Why This Recipe Works

Too much cornmeal made the hushpuppies dense and gritty, while too much flour made them cakey. After a handful of tests, we determined quantities that balanced these two extremes. For the liquid component, tasters preferred the slight tang of buttermilk to water and milk. Once we settled on buttermilk, it made sense to add baking soda. Not only did soda react with the acidic buttermilk to produce a lighter hushpuppy, but it also helped brown it for the requisite crunchy crust. Allowing the batter to rest at room temperature before frying gave it time to thicken. Many recipes for called for frying the hushpuppies in lard. We opted for peanut or vegetable oil, which are far more likely to be on hand these days.

Before You Begin

Avoid coarsely ground cornmeal, which will make the hushpuppies gritty. If you don’t have buttermilk, whisk 1½ teaspoons lemon juice into ¾ cup milk and let it stand for 10 minutes.

Instructions

make the batter

Combine ¾ cup (3¾ ounces) cornmeal, ½ cup (2½ ounces) all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon table salt, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne in large bowl. Whisk in ¾ cup buttermilk, 2 eggs, and ¼ cup minced onion until combined. Mixture should be texture of muffin batter, thick enough to briefly hold a dinner spoon upright. Add extra flour if necessary to correct texture. Let batter sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or up to 1 hour.

fry the hushpuppies

Heat 2 quarts peanut oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Drop half of batter into oil in heaping tablespoons and fry until deep golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, turning hushpuppies halfway through cooking. Transfer to wire rack set over rimmed baking sheet and repeat with remaining batter. Serve. (Hushpuppies can be refrigerated in airtight container for 2 days. Reheat in 450-degree oven for about 10 minutes.)