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Basket of hush puppies with raspberry hot pepper jelly
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5 from 4 votes

Southern Hush Puppies with Dipping Sauces

Crispy, golden cornmeal hush puppies with green onions and a touch of bacon fat, served with tangy Comeback Sauce, Old Bay remoulade, or sweet-hot pepper jelly for dipping.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Refrigerator chilling time1 hour
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Southern
Meat & Poultry: none
Servings: 8
Calories: 163kcal
Author: Dorothy Stainbrook

Equipment

Ingredients

Hush Puppies Recipe

  • 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

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup chile sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ½ teaspoon dry mustard

See Notes for Old Bay Remoulade Sauce Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 Tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 teaspoons coarse grain mustard
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons horseradish
  • 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

Instructions

For Hush Puppies

  • 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, the Southern Comeback Sauce or the Remoulade.

For Southern Comback Sauce

  • Make the sauces: Whisk the Comeback Sauce ingredients together in one bowl. Cover and refrigerate, ideally overnight, so the flavors blend.
    1 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup chile sauce, 2 Tablespoons ketchup, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, 1 pinch salt, 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

For the Remoulade Sauce

  • Whisk the Remoulade ingredients together in one bowl. Cover and refrigerate, ideally overnight, so the flavors blend.
    1 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 clove garlic, 2 Tablespoons ketchup, 2 teaspoons coarse grain mustard, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons horseradish, 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

Notes

Note: nutrition analysis is for the hushpuppies themselves without sauce.
Note: For a hot pepper jelly dip, warm any hot pepper jelly briefly in the microwave to loosen it.
  • 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • 2 Tbsp ketchup
  • 2 tsp capers
  • 2 tsp coarse grain mustard
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp horseradish
  • 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
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 Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp horseradish
  • 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
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Nutrition

Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 915mg | Potassium: 293mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 162IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 2mg