Crispy Buttermilk Hushpuppies

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Sweet-savory cornmeal fritters with grated onion and a whisper of cayenne, scooped straight from the bowl into two inches of hot oil. Shallow-frying in a Dutch oven keeps the temperature rock steady, so you get a shatter-crisp shell and a fully cooked, custardy cornbread center — the kind you'd get alongside a basket of fried catfish at a lakeside Louisiana fish house.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups fine yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, grated on a box grater with juices
• 2 tbsp thinly sliced scallion greens
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

• 6 cups peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
• flaky salt, for finishing
• 1/2 cup remoulade or tartar sauce, for dipping

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cayenne, and black pepper until evenly combined and no lumps of baking powder remain.
2. Grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater directly into a small bowl so you catch every drop of juice — that juice is what seasons the interior. Stir in the scallion greens.
3. Add the onion and its juices, the beaten egg, buttermilk, and melted butter to the dry ingredients. Fold with a rubber spatula just until no dry pockets remain, about 15 strokes. The batter should be thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon; if it slumps, add cornmeal 1 tablespoon at a time.
4. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. The cornmeal hydrates and stiffens, which is what lets you scoop-and-drop clean rounds instead of flat blobs. Do not rest longer than 30 minutes or the baking powder loses its lift.
5. Pour oil into a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven to a depth of 2 inches (about 6 cups). Clip on a deep-fry or instant-read thermometer and heat over medium until the oil reaches 350°F, 8 to 10 minutes. Set a wire rack over a sheet pan next to the stove.
6. Using two spoons or a #40 (1 1/2-tablespoon) scoop, drop 5 or 6 rounds of batter into the oil, working close to the surface so they don't splash. Do not crowd the pot — small batches are the whole point; more than 6 at a time will crash the oil temperature and give you greasy, raw-centered hushpuppies.
7. Fry for 2 minutes, then turn each one with a spider or slotted spoon. Continue frying, turning once or twice more, until deep golden brown all over, 4 to 5 minutes total. They should feel light and sound hollow when tapped with the spoon.
8. Lift onto the wire rack and sprinkle immediately with flaky salt. Check the oil temperature and let it climb back to 350°F before the next batch — it will drop to about 325°F while frying. Adjust the burner between batches to hold 345 to 355°F.
9. Break open the first hushpuppy from batch one to check doneness: the inside should be steamy, moist, and uniformly set like cornbread, with no wet batter. If the center is raw, your scoops are too large or the oil is too hot — drop the heat 10 degrees and scoop slightly smaller.
10. Repeat with the remaining batter, about 3 more batches. Serve hot within 15 minutes, with remoulade or tartar sauce for dipping.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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