You simply can’t wander into any seafood or catfish joint south of the Mason Dixon line and not find hushpuppies on the menu.
Hushpuppies will be offered by the basket as bar snacks and appetizers and will come in piles of three to five as a bonus side on every self-respecting catfish and seafood plate, maybe even with your hamburger in a real catfish joint.
If you’re in a really high class place, they’ll have a specialty hushpuppy or two, with some kind of interesting twist – jalapeno hushpuppies, cheesy hushpuppies and so forth.
You’ll know you’re dining in the absolute apex of Southern catfish and seafood emporiums when you spy crab or shrimp hushpuppies on the menu. Friend EH, living deep in South Texas, took She Who Must Be Obeyed and I to a tiny little hole in the wall place in Port Isabel years ago, now long gone, and lo and behold they offered this astoundingly good Crab Hushpuppy as an appetizer.
After one bite I knew then we’d been given a glimpse behind the mythical hushpuppy curtain that we’d probably never see again. I like to think it was the first time I ever uttered the phrase “hot damn” in reference to fine dining, though SWMBO just rolls her eyes when I pontificate on such things.
EH recently came across the recipe he’d somehow plied from the former cook and graciously offered to bargain it for some boat time on the Madison later this year; we came to terms readily with the proviso that I could share it here.
Granted, fresh lump crab meat isn’t very easy for most of us to get our hands on, though when you do, you’ll want to stir up a batch of these.
And a pox on all those who don’t take the time to stir up a great homemade tartar sauce to go with your Hot Damn Crab Hushpuppies.
3 cups buttermilk cornmeal mix
1 cup self-rising flour
4 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
2½ cups full-fat buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 lb. lump crab-meat, picked over
1 cup chopped green onions
Get ready. Whisk together the cornmeal mix, flour, pepper, salt and baking soda.
In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg, then stir in the buttermilk.
Make a batter. Now stir the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring to just combine, then fold in the crab and chopped green onions.
Fry ‘em up. Drop by the heaping teaspoon into the heated oil of your choice (350 to 375) and deep fry until golden brown and perfectly crisp. Drain.
Serve warm with your best homemade tartar sauce.
Enjoy.
