Lightly adapted from the Mama Dip’s Kitchen cookbook. I tend to like the hush puppies oblong instead of round–it’s just how I’ve had them more often–but you can make them any which way you like. As you can see, my “oblong” ones turned out all kinds of shapes, which was a-okay with me.
Scale
Ingredients
1 cup cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup finely minced or grated onion (about ¼ onion)
½ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
1 egg, beaten
¾ cup buttermilk (or ½ cup plain yogurt, thinned with ¼ cup water or milk), plus more if needed
Instructions
Mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and onion. Stir in the egg and the buttermilk. The consistency of the batter should be like a muffin batter or thick pancake batter. If needed, use a little bit more buttermilk to thin.
Let the mixture sit for 3 to 5 minutes, which will help it to hold together better while cooking.
While the mixture is resting, heat two inches of oil in a large cast iron skillet or pot to 350 degrees.
When you’re ready to fry, line a large plate with paper towels, and give the mixture another good stir. For round hush puppies, drop the batter by tablespoon into the oil. For oblong hush puppies, pour the mixture into a piping bag and cut off a generously-sized hole, around ¾-inch, and pipe longer dollops into the oil.
Fry until brown all over, about 5 minutes. Mama Dip says not to overcrowd them, or they will cook too slow and be greasy.
Remove and drain on paper towels. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
If you like, serve with some butter, tartar sauce, or ranch dressing. I’ve always preferred them plain.