Hush puppies

By: Claire Thomson
From: The Art Of The Larder
Makes: 8 golfball sized hush puppies
Photographer: Mike Lusmore

Iconic southern American deep-fried nuggets made with cornmeal. Quite apart from having a brilliant name, these hush puppies make the very best sort of snack to serve with a very cold beer. I’ve upped the ante here by adding creamed corn, anchovies and herbs; experiment and use the batter as a vehicle for flavour.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
	vegetable oil, for frying
200g	cornmeal/polenta
125g	self-raising flour
1	medium onion, finely diced
1 x 50g	tin of anchovies, drained of oil and finely diced
1 x 400g	tin of creamed corn
or 1	corn cob, cooked and kernels blended
1 sprig	fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon	chilli flakes, to taste
2	large eggs, lightly beaten
	salt
	freshly ground black pepper
	lemon wedges, to serve

Method

Heat enough oil for frying in a large frying pan to 180°C – about 2.5cm deep should be sufficient.
In a bowl mix the cornmeal/polenta, flour, onion, anchovies, corn, rosemary, chilli flakes and eggs until blended. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then add a big pinch of salt and pepper.
Test your oil is hot enough by dropping in a little batter. If it browns and rises immediately, it’s ready. Very carefully drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the oil and fry until golden brown.
Don’t overcrowd the pan, and leave room for the hush puppies to be turned. Cook them for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
Keep the cooked hush puppies warm in a low oven while cooking the remaining batter. Lightly sprinkle with a bit more salt and pepper to taste, and transfer them to a serving dish.
Serve with lemon wedges.

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