Tuesday, March 08, 2016

Shut up, dogs

That's how I affectionately refer to hushpuppies, the southern American deep-fried cornbread. Legend has it that southern fisherman would toss small bits of fried cornbread to their dogs to keep them quiet, or "hush" them, at mealtime. Hushpuppies are a side dish, frequently served with fish dishes, but also with pork barbecue. Or anything, really.

My hushpuppies are football-shaped, and smooth. Others can be round and/or much rougher.

The recipe I use for our home-made pups comes from the coastal North Carolina seafood restaurant, Tony's Sanitary Fish Market & Restaurant in Morehead City. You mix cornmeal (I used white meal this time, but yellow cornmeal works just the same), salt, soda, sugar, an egg, and buttermilk (I use yogurt) into a batter, then shape the hushpuppies as you like. Sometimes they are round, other times they are football-shaped. Then they get deep-fried until they're done.

Twenty raw hushpuppies, shaped and ready for deep-frying.

Hushpuppies are really good with a little sweet butter, or just plain along side your meal. On Monday we ate field peas (small red beans) with Toulouse sausages (from southern France), collard greens, and a basket of hushpuppies. Yum!

6 comments:

  1. They look and sound delicious.
    Hushpuppies is the name of a brand of footwear here in the UK, known for their comfort rather than fashionable styling!

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    Replies
    1. We've always had the Hushpuppies brand shoes in the U.S. too. Wonder why they were ever called by that name?

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  2. well shut mah mouf and call me cornpone! I LOVES HUSHPUPPIES and I'mma not from the south!

    recipe, SVP?

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  3. I don't think I have ever had a hush puppy.

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  4. Hushpuppies are always good...especially if you find some one who can make them ....Special.... most folks around here stir up a batch, measure them out from the bowl, with a tablespoon and drop them in the hot grease... its the Louisiana Way.

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