Can we take a moment for my inability to plan ahead? I’m currently in Kansas City with my best friend, Kaki, at Go Blog Social, which is a new blog conference. We’ve wrapped up our first day and my brain is so full of information on how to make this site better. I’m feeling totally energized and excited about new possibilities and also really overwhelmed by all the work I want to do. But mostly, excited. I had great plans to write posts and have them publish while I was away but I barely got myself packed and out of town.
There are occasions that I do actually plan ahead though. One of those recent times was our anniversary dinner. In mid-July we celebrated 8 years of marriage. We decided to plan a simple meal at home to enjoy once our kids were in bed. I’d recently reorganized my every growing recipe collection and I stumbled upon this gem for jalapeno hush puppies. Hush puppies are on my recipe bucket list and I thought that jalapeno hush puppies would be a wonderful treat.
This may be one of the easiest recipes that I’ve ever created. The batter came together in minutes and then fried up perfectly crisp. The jalapeno added the perfect amount of heat and the creamed corn seemed to keep the hush puppies from drying out. These jalapeno hush puppies were simply perfection! We paired them with ribs but we’d eaten so many in the kitchen they served more as an appetizer than a side dish.
As a friendly reminder, drop the dough into the oil just above the surface. I dropped a batch in from too high above the oil which caused the oil to splash. I got a minor burn on my had but was reminded that I need to be careful when dealing with hot oil or any liquid that’s incredibly hot.
Jalapeno Hush Puppies
Ingredients
Peanut oil or vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 1/2 quarts)
1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1 cup self-rising flour
4-6 fresh jalapenos, seeded if desired, and diced
1 15-ounce can creamed corn
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Hot sauce, for serving (optional)
Directions
Pour about 2 inches of peanut oil into a Dutch oven. Heat oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
Combine the cornmeal, flour, jalapenos, corn and eggs in a mixing bowl. Stir until well blended and all the cornmeal is incorporated into the mixture. Let batter stand for 5 minutes.
Working in small batches, drop the batter by teaspoonfuls into the hot oil. Make sure to leave room for the hushpuppies to be turned. Cook until golden brown. (Mine took about a minute per side)
Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Lightly sprinkle with salt. Transfer hush puppies to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while frying the remaining batter. Once all the batter has been fried, transfer jalepeno hush puppies to a serving dish. Serve with hot sauce.
If you can’t find self-rising cornmeal, use 1 1/4 cups plus 2 1/2 tablespoons regular cornmeal, 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder and 3/4 teaspoon salt.