Southern Hush Puppies with Southern Comeback Sauce

Hush puppies, a fried cornmeal ball, are a Southern delicacy, often served with deep-fried seafood and a range of dipping sauces.

The dipping sauces offered in this recipe include a traditional Southern Comeback Sauce, a link to a great Old Bay Remoulade sauce, and a pre-made hot pepper jelly.

Jump to: RECIPE | Comeback Sauce | More Dipping Sauces | More Classic Southern Recipes

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Traditional Hush Puppies

Hush puppies are a savory, deep-fried, round cornmeal ball. A perfect hush puppy is crunchy on the outside and soft inside. The original creation itself is said to have started with French nuns who had immigrated to New Orleans.

However, hush puppies didn’t acquire their common name until one day when an African cook was frying up a batch and a puppy began to howl. She gave the puppy a plate full of deep-fried dough balls and told the puppy to “hush puppy.” It must have worked because the term hush puppies is now ubiquitous.

The Classic Southern Comeback Sauce

This classic Southern dipping sauce hails originally from Jackson, Mississippi, and of course, it’s name says it all (i.e., you will always come back for more).

Some say the name comes from the Mississippi Goodbye, where a visitor was always left with a “y’all come back now”. Whether this is true or not I have no idea, but it certainly could be, and it makes a good story.

The sauce itself is a version of a remoulade and is similar to a Thousand Island salad dressing. It is extremely easy to make and usually includes different ratios of mayonnaise, chile sauce, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce.

The version in the recipe card below (see notes section) also includes smoked paprika, dry mustard, and hot sauce. Garlic and onion are often added, either in fresh chopped form or in powder form.

Tip: For the best flavor, make the sauce a day ahead of time and refrigerate it overnight.

More Dipping Sauces for Southern Fried Food

Pre-made Jams or Jellies

The easiest dipping sauce for hush puppies and other popular fried Southern dishes is a pre-made jam or jelly (preserve). Three preserves that I have tried and loved as dipping sauces to accompany hush puppies include hot pepper jelly, lime marmalade, and an heirloom tomato jam.

The tomato jam has a little kick, the hot pepper jelly is a go-to for many Southerners, and the lime marmalade has just the right amount of pucker to go with the cornmeal hush puppies.

Old Bay Remoulade Sauce

There are countless variations to a remoulade sauce, but at the core, it is a mayonnaise-based sauce with pickles, seasoning, and usually mustard or horseradish. Although it originated in France, Louisiana was the U.S. state that made it popular.

My favorite remoulade sauce is made with Old Bay seasoning, capers instead of pickles, and both horseradish and mustard.

The recipe for baked fish cakes includes an easy recipe for the remoulade sauce that is a perfect dipping sauce with any Southern fried food.

The ingredient list for the easy remoulade sauce is also in the recipe card below.

What to Serve with Southern Dipping Sauces

Most often you will see these dipping sauces served with deep-fried, battered dishes like seafood or hush puppies. That is not to say that they won’t be wonderful with many other “dippable” foods like fries or even roasted vegetables!

Here are 8 of my favorite ideas, but don’t limit yourself!

• Sweet potato fries
• As a burger spread
• Oyster po boys

More Southern Classic Recipes:

My mom grew up in Shreveport Louisiana, and her all-time favorite dinner was fried catfish, hush puppies, and sweet iced tea, with a banana pudding for dessert. Check out these recipes for her favorite Southern dishes:

• Recipe for catfish fish cakes
• Baked fish cakes with a low-carb version
• Fried green tomatoes
• Old Fashioned Banana Pudding (with Nilla wafers).

The Southern dinner of hush puppies, fried catfish, and sweet tea was made in honor of my mom’s 90th birthday, reminiscent of the food she grew up eating. I’m so happy I got to make it for her before she passed.

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Southern Hush Puppies with Dipping Sauces

Deep fried cornmeal hush puppies with a Old Bay remoulade sauce, a Southern Comeback Sauce, or a hot pepper jelly dip.

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Servings 8

Calories 163

Author Dorothy Stainbrook

Equipment

• digital thermometer
• Dutch oven (Or a large sturdy pot)
• large bowl
• baking sheet
• Slotted spoon

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal fine grind
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons melted bacon fat
• 2 green onions thinly sliced
• 1 cup buttermilk can also use whole milk or combination of milk and beer
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• oil for frying peanut oil or oil with high smoke point
• Southern Comeback Sauce **see notes below

Instructions

 

• In large bowl, whisk cornmeal with the flour, sugar, pepper, salt, cayenne and baking powder. Add the egg, milk, butter, green onions and bacon fat and whisk until dry and liquid ingredients are combined (do not over-mix or texture will be tough).
  1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons melted bacon fat, 1 cup buttermilk, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 green onions
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In pot that is at least 6 inches deep (6-qt. Dutch oven works great) heat 2 inches of oil to 350 – 375 degrees. Don't skimp on the oil, the batter needs to submerge in the oil.

  Use a thermometer to maintain the 350 – 375 temperature, because if the heat is too low the puppies will absorb too much oil and if it is too high the outside will burn before the inside is done. Remember, the heat goes down when you add a lot of batter to the oil.
  oil for frying
• Set a rack over a baking sheet and place near the stove. Drop tablespoon-size balls of batter into the hot oil, about 6 at a time. You can drop the batter using 2 soup spoons sprayed with vegetable oil or a small ice-cream scoop.
• Fry puppies until they are a rich golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Some of the puppies will flip themselves over, but use a slotted spoon or utensil to turn those that don’t so they cook evenly. With a slotted spoon, transfer hush puppies to rack to drain. Repeat with remaining batter.
• When all of the puppies have been fried, reheat them in oven for about 3 minutes, or until they're hot. Serve with variety of hot pepper jams or the Southern Comeback Sauce detailed in the notes below.
  Southern Comeback Sauce

Notes

**Note: Oil may be used for another fry job if it is stored properly. After puppies are done, let oil cool thoroughly. Remove cooked particles by straining oil through strainer lined with cheesecloth or coffee filter. Use funnel to pour oil into empty bottle with a lid and label, date and store in the refrigerator. Use within one month.

COMEBACK SAUCE:

Whisk together these ingredients:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chile sauce
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Worcestshire sauce
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard

 

OLD BAY REMOULADE:

• 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 2 tsp capers
• 2 tsp coarse grain mustard
• 2 tsp Worcestshire sauce
• 2 tsp horseradish
• 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

HOT PEPPER DIP

You can use any hot pepper jelly for this dip. If the jelly is too thickly gelled, just heat it a bit in the microwave to soften.

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Nutrition

Calories: 163kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 5gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 915mgPotassium: 293mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 162IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 110mgIron: 2mg

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