Homemade Southern Style Hush Puppies are everything you would expect a great hush puppy to be! The best ever, these easy-to-make, bite-size morsels of corn deliciousness are addictive and a must-have when serving seafood, southern peas, or barbecue.
Combine the cornmeal mix, flour, and creole seasoning in a medium size bowl and whisk together. Add the buttermilk, jalapenos, and egg and stir until everything is combined. It's okay if you have a few lumps, and it will be pretty thick. Do not overmix. Set the batter aside and let it rest for ten minutes while the oil heats.
Add the oil to a cast iron skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat and heat it to 370 degrees F. For deep frying, the oil should be at least one and one-half inches deep. If you want to pan-fry them, three-quarters of an inch to an inch is plenty.
Using an ice cream scoop (about an inch and a quarter wide) or a spoon, carefully drop small round balls of batter into the oil. Do not crowd. Repeat for subsequent batches.
Use a metal kitchen spider or a fish turner to move them around and turn them over until they are cooked and golden brown on all sides. This will take about three minutes. Once the first batch is done, wait until the oil temperature has returned to 370 degrees F. before adding more batter.
Remove the hush puppies and drain them on paper towels or a wire rack set over paper towels. Keep them warm in a 200-degree oven until they are all fried. Serve immediately while still hot.
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Notes
Because you are not using as much oil, pan-fried hush puppies will not fry up into round balls and instead will be more like flattened balls.If you don't keep buttermilk on hand, you can easily make your own by adding a teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to one-half cup of whole milk or half-and-half and letting it sit for five minutes.If you are making your hush puppies in batches, keep ones that are already fried warm by storing them in a 200-degree oven.Spray a bit of Pam or another non-stick cooking spray on your ice cream scoop or spoon to make it easier for the dough to release.I always use peanut oil for frying, but you can also use vegetable oil or canola oil.If you don't have a candy or deep fry thermometer to test your oil heat, watch the oil and add a pinch of batter when it develops a faint shimmer but just before it starts to smoke. If it immediately begins to sizzle and rise to the top, the oil is ready.Don't overcrowd the pan when frying or try to fry too many pieces at once. It will bring down the temperature of the oil, and instead of frying up crispy, your hush puppies will soak up too much oil and be greasy.