Easy and delicious hush puppies recipes. Just where did the words hush puppies come from you may wonder? It is fabled that the corn meal used in the South to fry fish or vegetable was then fried by itself into a little ball of bread and fed to yelping dogs to quiet them down. Hence the phrase “hush puppies“.
Tasty treats that are simple and good comfort food. Usually served in the South with fried catfish, they have become a constant in most fish restaurants throughout the U.S. There are many historical theories on just how hush puppies came about. One detail everyone seems to agree on is, they began in the southern part of the United States. Indians probably started the whole thing with corn meal or maize, which was and still is a Southern staple.
They make a great appetizer as part of a chips and dips buffet, maybe surrounded by cocktail sausages. I like to serve them at gatherings where children are present. Kids love these things. Put a plate of hush puppies out with some ketchup as a dipping sauce and you won’t hear from the kids for a long while.
I have fond memories of hush puppies. I started cooking at a very early age. When I was about 10 or 11, I used to fry up some hush puppies. My sister and our friends would stand about 10 feet away from each other and try to throw them in each others mouth. We would score points every time one would land. I used to make quite a few, because, if one dropped to the ground no one would eat it and none of us were very good shots.
- 1 cup of corn meal
- 1 cup of flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 small onion, grated
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion, tops only
- 3/4 cup of milk
- oil for frying
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Combine all ingredients until dry ingredients are moistened.
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Drop by tablespoons into oil at 350° and cook until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and serve immediately.
Variations: I don’t know if it is because I am Italian, or what, but often times I will add a 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese to the mix and a tablespoon of chopped parsley. It certainly isn’t traditional, but hey, I’m Italian, Parmesan cheese and parsley are a tradition to me! I think the hush puppies taste great both ways.
Believe it or not, hush puppies are great dipped in ranch or blue cheese dressing.
