Why not start the week off right with a little deep fried goodness? There is no better way to end a Monday than with a cold beer, and a pile of deep fried, sweet corn studded nuggets of cornmeal batter. Dip them in a little hot sauce, and you might just forget there’s a whole week ahead of you.
Isn’t food great like that? I don’t know if it works for everyone, but there’s nothing that can so tangibly alter my mood as a meal. Nothing will motivate me more than a smoothie, and nothing says ‘relax’ to me more than a cold drink and a salty, crispy snack.
When you find yourself with a plate of crunchy, crunchy, crunchy morsels in front of you, fresh and steaming hot, really what is there to do but devote your attention to them? What’s the alternative – to let them get cold? That would be too tragic.
No, your only choice is to zero in on the plate, scan for the one with the gnarliest edges (more crunch) and then try and eat it as quickly as you can without burning your tongue. A generous application of spicy sauce is optional, but I do recommend it.
If this is the kind of thing you can’t really imagine making at home, I understand. Truly, I do. Deep frying at home can seem like a bridge too far, even to me sometimes. And I don’t really see these puppies forming part of a meal (though I understand they often are).
No, for me, this is the kind of thing I make at home purely for the sake of it. Just to throw off the shackles of what I ‘should’ be cooking, and say screw it. I’m gonna make hush puppies, eat them and then worry about dinner later…or never. It wouldn’t be the first time I ate carrot and cucumber and hummus out of the tub for my evening meal.
I guess this is just my mood at the moment – have you noticed? I’ve got itchy feet and I feel like breaking the rules. I feel like running for the hills, and coming back a little crazier…or a lot crazier.
I’m gonna deep fry things and eat cake for breakfast, and play my music too loud, and sleep all day. It’s going to be super fun. You’re welcome to come along – anytime.
xx Sarah.
- 1 ear of corn
- 3 scallions (spring onions/green onions)
- 1 cup (140g) polenta or cornmeal
- ½ cup (75g) plain flour
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarb soda
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 egg
- 1 cup (250ml) buttermilk
- 3oz (75g) grated cheddar
- canola oil, for frying
- Remove the husk and silk from the corn, and carefully run a knife down it's sides to remove the kernels. Wash and thinly slice the scallions.
- Place the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, bicarb, and paprika into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Crack in the egg and pour in the buttermilk, and then stir just until everything is incorporated. Finally, add the corn kernels, scallions and grated cheddar and stir through.
- Place about 2 inches of oil into a sturdy, heavy based pot - the oil shouldn't fill the pan more than about a third.
- Place over a medium heat, and bring up to 320F/160C. To cook the hush puppies, carefully lower a heaped tablespoon of dough into the oil, and cook until deep golden brown (about 1-2 minutes) and then remove to drain on a wire rack, set over kitchen paper.
- Cook the hush puppies in batches until all the batter is used, and then serve with spicy ketchup or hot sauce and a cold drink.
Though I am generally a pretty healthy eater….hush puppies are one of my greatest weaknesses when it comes to fried foods! These look fantastic. They remind me of these corn fritters I can order as a side dish at a restaurant near where my fiance lives.
This is definitely making me crave some seriously fried hush puppies….
-Kelsey
Uh uh! You made hush puppies?!?! These look amazing, Sarah! I love that you added corn!
Omg Sarah. These bring me back to childhood eating hush puppies with my siblings. Yours look 500x better though! That last photo is especially yummy to me!!
Thanks lovely!
Holy smokes!! These look absolutely dangerous…dying for a bite!!
this is like street food with all the notches turned up. so fabulous!!! totally bookmarking for summer.
I’ve made hush puppies before….and the less I say about that experience the better. Yours look soooo much nicer than mine. Can’t wait to try!
These are so luxurious! Kudos to you for frying at home ;)
I rarely eat what I’m supposed to, so I don’t see a problem with having nothing but hushpuppies for dinner. I’m so on bored with this. I’ll even put aside my fear of frying.
food is totally one of the biggest things that can make me happy! Which is why I’m lucky I found another food lover to marry…otherwise I don’t know how it could work :P
These hush puppies look sooooo deliciously dangerous! I adore scallions and corn and…well…fried yumminess