Hush Puppies with Jalapeño Honey Butter

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Deep cast iron skillet or Dutch oven (at least 4 inches deep)
• •Candy or deep-fry thermometer
• •Slotted spoon or spider strainer
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the jalapeño honey butter

   Start with the compound butter so those flavors have time to marry. In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter with a wooden spoon or hand mixer until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the honey, minced jalapeño, salt, and cayenne. Beat until everything is evenly distributed and the butter looks creamy with green flecks throughout. Taste it. The honey should hit first, followed by a slow, pleasant burn from the pepper. Adjust heat or sweetness to your liking. Transfer to a small serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate while you make the hush puppies.

   For a smoother butter, you can pulse everything in a food processor. But I like the rustic texture of hand-mixing, where you get little pockets of honey and bits of jalapeño in each bite.
2. 2

   Mix the dry ingredients

   In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne, black pepper, and garlic powder. This is where your foundation lives. I season my dry ingredients boldly because once that batter hits hot oil, you cannot go back and fix bland. The cayenne should be enough to wake things up without setting anyone on fire. You can always add more at the table.

3. 3

   Build the batter

   Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients. Pour in the buttermilk and beaten egg. Stir gently with a wooden spoon, working from the center outward, just until everything comes together. Add the minced yellow onion, green onion, and jalapeño. Fold them in with a few strokes. The batter should be thick and slightly lumpy, like wet sand that holds its shape. If it seems too stiff, add buttermilk one tablespoon at a time. Too loose and your hush puppies will flatten in the oil instead of puffing up round and proud.

   Do not overmix this batter. Those little lumps are your friends. They keep the interior tender. Overworked batter makes tough, dense hush puppies that nobody wants.
4. 4

   Heat the frying oil

   Pour your oil into a deep cast iron skillet or Dutch oven to a depth of about two inches. Clip a candy thermometer to the side and heat over medium-high until the oil reaches 365°F. This temperature is critical. Too cool and the hush puppies absorb oil and turn greasy. Too hot and they brown on the outside before the inside cooks through. At 365°F, you get that perfect golden crust while the center steams and puffs.

   No thermometer? Drop a small bit of batter into the oil. It should sizzle immediately and rise to the surface within three seconds. That's your signal.
5. 5

   Form and fry the hush puppies

   Working in batches of five or six to avoid crowding, use two spoons to scoop and drop rounded tablespoons of batter into the hot oil. They should sizzle on contact and bob to the surface. Fry for three to four minutes, turning them occasionally with a slotted spoon so they brown evenly on all sides. When they are deep golden brown and sound hollow when you tap them, they are done. The color should remind you of a good caramel, not pale blond and definitely not burnt umber.

   Dip your spoons in water between batches to keep the batter from sticking. And let the oil come back up to temperature between batches. Patience here pays off in texture.
6. 6

   Drain and season immediately

   Transfer the fried hush puppies to a wire rack set over a sheet pan (paper towels work but make the bottoms soggy). While they are still glistening with oil, hit them with a light sprinkle of salt. This is when the salt sticks. Wait too long and it just falls off. Keep the finished batches warm in a 200°F oven while you fry the rest.

7. 7

   Serve hot with the butter

   Pile those golden beauties into a basket lined with a cloth napkin or onto a warm platter. Pull the jalapeño honey butter from the refrigerator about five minutes before serving so it softens just enough to spread. Set it alongside with a small butter knife. The proper way to eat these is to tear a hush puppy open while it is still warm, slather the inside with that sweet-spicy butter, and let it melt into all those craggy surfaces. That's the bayou way.

Chef Tips

• •Fine-ground cornmeal gives you a more delicate texture. Coarse-ground works too but produces a grittier, more rustic hush puppy. Both are honest. Choose what you like.
• •If you want more heat in the fritters themselves, leave some of the jalapeño seeds in or add a diced serrano. But start mild. You can always pass hot sauce at the table.
• •The butter can be made up to a week ahead and refrigerated. It also freezes beautifully for two months. Roll it into a log in plastic wrap, slice off rounds as needed.
• •Leftover hush puppies reheat well in a 375°F oven for about five minutes. The microwave makes them rubbery. Do not do that to yourself.

Advance Preparation

• •The jalapeño honey butter can be made up to one week ahead and stored tightly covered in the refrigerator. Bring to cool room temperature before serving.
• •The dry ingredients can be whisked together and stored in an airtight container up to a month ahead.
• •The batter can be mixed and refrigerated for up to two hours before frying, though fresh batter produces the lightest texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 35g)