hush puppies

I love hush puppies but by me (nyc metro area) they are hard to find. Last night my friend and I got an order to go with our whitefish reubens. They were really good, but given with ketchup as a dipping sauce. We both found that odd and opted for a jalapeno tartar sauce instead.

Do you prefer your hush puppies plain or with a sauce? What place do you think makes them the best?

Sauce for hushpuppies? Perhaps I've been left out of the loop, but I've never heard of such a thing. The best I've ever had were at the Devil's Pool restaurant at Johnny Morris' Big Cedar Lodge on Table Rock Lake back in the '90s. In addition to the required onions, they had jalapenos in them.

fattybomatty


I love hush puppies but by me (nyc metro area) they are hard to find. Last night my friend and I got an order to go with our whitefish reubens. They were really good, but given with ketchup as a dipping sauce. We both found that odd and opted for a jalapeno tartar sauce instead.

Do you prefer your hush puppies plain or with a sauce? What place do you think makes them the best?

It would be utter blasphemy here in the south where hushpuppies come from to use any kind of sauce other than to mop up the plate! Try WalMart. Here they have them frozen in the frozen vegetable area. They have a jalapeno version that is very good. 

I actually don't mind a little malt vinegar on them.

Most southern kids growing up learn to eat hushpuppies with catchup.   It's a by product of the catchup used on french fries will usually get on the hushpuppie when eating at a southern fish fry.    ... Anyway, what southern parent will buy kids a high priced condiment just for his hushpuppies????   ... it's table standard ... catchup ... or a few cases maybe ... mayonnaise (also eaten on french fries)

Love mine dipped in cocktail sauce just as I got em as a kid with fried shrimp and french fries.
 
 

A good, well flavored Hush Puppy does not require any condiments.
Finely chopped or grated onion in them are a must have. Other acceptable additions, fresh corn cut off the cob, jalapenos, Cajun seasoning.
AND what's with a Whitefish Reuben???
Never heard of such a thing!

BREAKFAST HUSH PUPPIES!
Sweet Pecan Hush Puppies
Crispy, Golden, and Crunchy with Pecans - these are a real treat!!
These are great for breakfast, with sausages or other breakfast meats .
 They are also good drizzled with syrup or just by themselves!
Yield: About 44
 
Ingredients:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Oil for frying (about 4 to 6 cups)
 
Preparation:
Combine the powdered sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and pecans until well mixed and stir into the dry ingredients, just until combined
In a pot deep enough that there is plenty of room above the oil, heat the oil to 375°F.
When the oil reaches 375, drop tablespoons of the batter into the hot oil.
Only cook enough at a time that they have room to float--don't crowd them.
Cook hush puppies for about 3-4 minutes, turning if they don't turn on their own as they are floating in the oil.
They should be golden brown when done.
As hush puppies are fried, transfer them to several layers of paper towels to drain.
 Place the cinnamon sugar in a zip bag.
When each batch of hush puppies are cool enough to handle, place them in the bag and gently shake to coat them with the sugar.
Set aside on a large platter rather than stacking them up.
 

I nibble a bit off the crust to expose the innards and dip that little puppy in malt vinegar or, if available, an Eastern Carolina-style 'cue sauce such as my personal favorite:  www.scottsbarbecuesauce.com .

Have always eaten them with cocktail sauce (extra horseradish, please). As edwmax mentioned, it's probably from being raised in the south and having hushpuppies next to the fried fish/shrimp/oysters. It got close to the cocktail sauce, tasted it, it was good and voila, instant food memory. If I had to choose between ketchup and nothing, I'd probably go with the ketchup.

I like mine with Tartar sauce.

ces1948


I actually don't mind a little malt vinegar on them.

 
Same here except I put as much malt vinegar as they can hold. When it starts dripping, that's when it's enough.

Foodbme,

I had the same reaction to the whitefish reuben until I tried it and it was awesome. The place is really interesting to say the least. It looks like someplace that should be on DDD. I also tried the jalapenos stuffed with shrimp and wrapped in Bacon. They were great. Same with the blackened whitefish tacos. Tempted to try the cap'n crunch French toast. I am attaching the link for it. If anyone is in NYC I would highly recommend this place.

http://www.cowgirlseahorse.com/

Foodbme,

I had the same reaction to the whitefish reuben until I tried it and it was awesome. The place is really interesting to say the least. It looks like someplace that should be on DDD. I also tried the jalapenos stuffed with shrimp and wrapped in Bacon. They were great. Same with the blackened whitefish tacos. Tempted to try the cap'n crunch French toast. I am attaching the link for it. If anyone is in NYC I would highly recommend this place.

http://www.cowgirlseahorse.com/

I always associate hush puppies with seafood platters, which there are usually 2-3 served with the platter.  With so much other food on the platter, I never paid much attention to them, as most were very bland.  But like Foodbme mentioned, a while back I had some seasoned with onion, or green onions and spices, and it  changed my whole idea about them.  I just eat them plain, without any sauce.  

Foodbme


Sweet Pecan Hush Puppies

Ditch the nuts and they sound a lot like what we used to call hand grenades in the Air Force. They were great with syrup on them as a side to a tray full of SOS.

When I was young my grandmother used to take me to a fish and chips place in Bound Brook, NJ called pompeii's. It had the best hushpuppies I have ever had. I never needed a dipping sauce for those. The cowgirl seahorses aren't quite as good at pompeii's, but definitely the best I have had in a very long time.

fattybomatty

Foodbme,
I had the same reaction to the whitefish reuben until I tried it and it was awesome. The place is really interesting to say the least. It looks like someplace that should be on DDD. I also tried the jalapenos stuffed with shrimp and wrapped in Bacon. They were great. Same with the blackened whitefish tacos. Tempted to try the cap'n crunch French toast. I am attaching the link for it. If anyone is in NYC I would highly recommend this place.
http://www.cowgirlseahorse.com/

Wow! What a menu! I see about 83 things on there that would crank my tractor!
ATTN: BUFFETBUSTER!
PEANUT BUTTER PRETZEL PIE $5.75
I'd like to find out what this is!
COWGIRL’S FAMOUS ICE CREAM BAKED POTATO $7.95

Foodbme

Both those desserts caught my attention too! I forgot to ask what the ice cream baked potato is.

The ones like you tend to get on a seafood platter I don't really care for.  However, the ones like they serve at some of the Eastern NC BBQ joints whihc tend to be less dense sometimes come with little packets of honey butter.  I coud eat a whole basket but I don't becasue I don't want to waste valuable BBQ space.  The best I ever had were at Bob Meltons before they moved.

Foodbme

fattybomatty

Foodbme,
I had the same reaction to the whitefish reuben until I tried it and it was awesome. The place is really interesting to say the least. It looks like someplace that should be on DDD. I also tried the jalapenos stuffed with shrimp and wrapped in Bacon. They were great. Same with the blackened whitefish tacos. Tempted to try the cap'n crunch French toast. I am attaching the link for it. If anyone is in NYC I would highly recommend this place.
http://www.cowgirlseahorse.com/

Wow! What a menu! I see about 83 things on there that would crank my tractor!
ATTN: BUFFETBUSTER!
PEANUT BUTTER PRETZEL PIE $5.75
I'd like to find out what this is!
COWGIRL’S FAMOUS ICE CREAM BAKED POTATO $7.95

Here are a couple of recipes, most likely similar to the ones Cowgirl Seahorse serves:
 
Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie: http://www.thespiffycookie.com/2011/08/12/peanut-butter-pretzel-pie/
 
Ice Cream Baked Potato: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/baked-potato-ice-cream-recipe/index.html

My own favorite hush puppies come from the Stagecoach Inn in Salado, TX. They are golden pinky-sized lines served with a small cup of chicken broth.

Just had sweet potato hush puppies at the Commissary in downtown Dallas at lunch today.

We never use a sauce with hushpuppies either with fish or BBQ.  My favorites are actually served with fried chicken at Tammy & Johnny's in Melfa, VA.  They are the smoother "softshell" style I prefer, although I will gladly eat the grittier "hardshell" style as well, if those descriptions make any sense.

I've never eaten hush puppies with sauce.  (I'm not talking about here in Minnesota; I mean in Georgia and the Carolinas). 
 
I suppose a little cocktail sauce from my fried oysters or fried shrimp might migrate to the hush puppies, but it has never been deliberate on my part.

Pups need to be fried in grease where the fish has been fried to give it the best taste.  I've had em in Q joints, but the taste isn't right if they aren't fried in grease from the fried fish.

Treetop your description makes se"nse and I prefer the "hardshell". The really fried and crispy ones that are moist inside.

that one got saved to favorites!..thanks

Well, I'm such a lousy non-purist.....and A Nawthaner to boot    , I admit to using a bit of melted butter and season salt on them as well as sometimes a bit of sauce, especially if my plate has no gravy or sauce.  But a hush puppie.....all by itself..........can be a thing of sheer delight......but it usually has to be made at leat 600 miles South from where I live

FriedClamFanatic


 But a hush puppie.....all by itself..........can be a thing of sheer delight......but it usually has to be made at leat 600 miles South from where I live

 
Fully agree.  A good hush puppy needs nothing.  Unfortunately, most away from the south seem to be quite sweet - more like fried corn muffins than a classic hush puppy.

 
I like hush puppies without sauce, and I like just a hint of onion mixed in.   I'm suprised at the number of people mentioning them with fish places and cocktail sauce.   I've always associated hush puppies with with BBQ joints. 
My favorite hush puppoes seem to be from South Carolina, especially Dukes and D&H.    While I prefer eastern (North) Carolina BBQ, South Carolina seems to have better hush puppies than NC, overall.    Many of the NC BBQ places have those "finger" shaped hush puppies, and they don't seem as crunchy as those from Dukes and D&H in SC.   Round, crunchy, "hardshell", with a hint of onion. .... Dukes and D&H are perfect. 
 
 
Glenn
 
 

I like to dip mine in cocktail sauce. However, the most important thing when I make my own is that the hush puppies need to be fried in the oil that you just fried either the fish, shrimp,& or oysters. NEVER use fresh oil!

My first exposure to hush puppies was as somewhat sweet corn fritters at the Iroquois Buffet in London, Ontario in the mid-sixties and I thought they were absolutely divine. Sadly, the Iroquois gave way to urban renewal/redevelopment within ten years.
 
Off hand I know of only a couple of places, Southern Accent and Dipamos BBQ, in Toronto that serve them but neither is that good especially considering the price they ask.
 

Good Hushpuppies do not need any sauce.
Henderson's Restaurant in Covington Ga. has the best I have had and I have eaten them all over the southeast.

No sauce on them for me

I usually have them with fried fish, so they do get sprinkle of malt vinegar.

OxDawg


Good Hushpuppies do not need any sauce.
Henderson's Restaurant in Covington Ga. has the best I have had and I have eaten them all over the southeast.

AND in the winter, you can go to the once a month Chitterling Dinner!!

Other than perhaps a little butter, the thought of adding anything to good hushpuppies, I find revolting, gross and disgusting.

Agreed here as well.  No sauce, no malt vinegar, no catsup...just a nice fried pup.  Had some really good ones at Hillbilly's BBQ near Charlotte a few months ago.

Kevincad years ago when my grandmother and her sisters were alive they had to go at least 3 times a year, more for the social aspect than for the meal itself. Hendersons still has chitterlings and I believe they are 19.99 now, all you can eat. Eventhough I eat at Henderson's about 4 times a year, I have not been to a chitterling supper since 1994.

OxDawg


Kevincad years ago when my grandmother and her sisters were alive they had to go at least 3 times a year, more for the social aspect than for the meal itself. Hendersons still has chitterlings and I believe they are 19.99 now, all you can eat. Eventhough I eat at Henderson's about 4 times a year, I have not been to a chitterling supper since 1994.

My first chitterlings were at Henderson's! Good chitlin's are tasty!

Aside from the traditional E. Carolina style I mentioned in post 9 above, I have also had two outstanding versions of the puppy.
 
1)  (no laughter, please)  Back in the 1970's the KFC on the Rt. 33 exit off I-81 in Harrisonburg, VA served golf ball sized and shaped hushpuppies as a 'freebie' side.  As a northerner I didn't even know what they were!  They were delicious!  I tried ketchup at first, then decided on later visits that they didn't need any condiment.
 
2)  High in the Andes I encountered what all here would consider to be a varient on the puppy:  about handball-size with a creamy, picante-spicy cornbread with bits of whole corn.  Truly wonderful! 
 
I forget the local name; I called them deep-fried huminta.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humita