I’ve brought you more deep-fried treats!
Why, you may ask? Well, because I love you.
I love you and you deserve a little deep-fried fun in your lives. We all do. I mean, really, who can say no these adorable little hush puppies?
NO ONE CAN RESIST THE HUSH PUPPY.
Even its name is adorable. Do you know it comes from fisherman shouting “hush, puppy!” while throwing bits of a cornmeal mush to their dogs while working? A little food for thought, hm?
(cue massive eye roll)
I know, I know. I’m very silly and crack myself up. My silliness does not, however, detract from the overall awesomeness that is the hush puppy. I’ve had them at various restaurants over the years, but never made them from scratch. I also just happened to have a few dozen cups of hot fry oil ready to go last weekend courtesy of those Neapolitan Doughnuts.
Finally, I noticed I had a few onions that were just about to go bad, and that’s normally the time at which I decide to caramelize them to avoid food waste.
…
“I could throw caramelized onions into the hush puppy batter…”
Thus, these Caramelized Onion Hush Puppies were born! They are the perfect mix of dense, chewy, savory, and sweet that makes you want to come back for seconds (and thirds, fourths, fifths…). Though they are perfect on their own as an appetizer with a bit of sriracha or hot sauce, you could also serve them as a side dish with a simple roasted or pan-fried fish filet.
I just happened to see pre-season football games running on TV the other night while I was out with some friends, which made me realize these Caramelized Onion Hush Puppies would also serve as great game-day grub! The batter comes together in no time with only a handful of ingredients, and frying them is a cinch.
I’m totally serious: hush puppies are the simplest thing you can deep fry for a crowd. Once the batter is prepped, you can simply use a cookie scoop to measure and drop perfect rounds into the hot oil. If you have a big enough pot, you can easily fit 10 hush puppies at a time and they fry to golden perfection in mere minutes.
The result? Crisp, golden perfection.
They would also be a great addition to your Labor Day Party plans, so be sure to pin the recipe for later or run home and commence frying right this minute.
I’ll be back next week with more doughnuts, so enjoy your weekend and I’ll see you in a few days!
Happy Frying!
Caramelized Onion Hush Puppies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup caramelized onions from about 1 large onion*
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large, heavy-duty pot to 375 degrees. You want the oil to be at least 2 1/2 inches deep, and have another 2 1/2 inches of room before the top rim of the pot (to avoid splashing).
- While oil is heating, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together egg and milk. Pour this milk mixture over the cornmeal mixture and whisk until just combined. Fold in caramelized onions.
- Using a cookie scoop (or 1 tbsp measuring spoon) scoop out rounded tablespoons of the hush puppy mixture and carefully drop into the hot oil. Do this as many times as you can without crowding the pot. Fry for about 45 seconds per side, or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon or metal sieve to a paper-towel lined cooling rack. Repeat with the rest of the hush puppy batter until all are fried.
- Serve immediately.
