Fish and shrimp would not be right without some hot homemade hush puppies to with them. All you need are six ingredients to make a batch.
Ever since the tender age of 2, my husband has enjoyed catching fish. Yes, the age of two.
My husband’s father was a farmer and had a catfish pond on the property. When my husband’s uncles would visit, they would take him down to the pond and that is where his fishing passion began.
He has been fishing for four decades now. He has learned a trick or two, none of which I am able to share with you. My husband was kind enough to let me share with you a couple of pictures of his recent catch – a 7 pound, 14 ounce large mouth bass. For the record, he strongly believes in catch and release. This beauty was returned to the river after pictures were taken.
My husband also likes to catch crappie. However, since crappie “make for good eatin’,” he brings them home, cleans them, and I cook them. When we eat crappie, we also like to make hush puppies. My husband developed his own hush puppie recipe and they are really delicious. He says the secret is to include diced green bell pepper in the batter.
To make Hush Puppies, start by combining the dry ingredients – cornmeal, flour, and salt. Add the buttermilk and stir until the dry ingredients are moist.
Dice one onion and one green bell pepper. Fold them into the batter.
Deep fry until they are golden brown. You will probably need to flip them over midway to ensure that they are brown all over. Drain on paper towels and enjoy.
There are a couple of stories as to how hush puppies got their name, all with the same idea that the crispy little fritters were thrown to dogs to silence them from barking. I am glad that my puppies don’t bark when we make these, because I really don’t want to have to share our hush puppies with them.
Hush Puppies
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup self-rising cornmeal
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1¼ cups buttermilk
- Oil, for frying
Instructions
- Preheat skillet of oil over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes.
- Combine cornmeal, flour, and salt in a large bowl.
- Add buttermilk and stir until batter is mixed well.
- Fold in onion and bell pepper.
- Drop by spoonfuls into the skillet of hot oil. Fry until golden brown, flipping over to ensure that both sides are thoroughly cooked.
Try subbing the buttermilk for beer….trust me its good!!!!!!
Thanks for the tip, Terry. Sounds like an interesting idea and I will have to try it.
I like any fish fried :). My son just brought home a 4’3″ alligator gar. I was reluctant to cook it but he had read that the back strap is very good. So, I fried it up and sure enough, it was delicious. BTW my son loves bow fishing. Has your husband tried that?
Yes, he has. That is purely sport fishing for him.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Should my husband ever “catch” another gar, should he save it for you? 🙂
I hate fish, but I LOVE hushpuppies! These look delicious!
I love to fish too. I’m not very good at it but I think it’s an enjoyable way to spend time. : )