My fondness for hush puppies traces back to childhood in Kentucky. I was young and my memories of the state are more about creek stomping and sledding down coal piles than anything else, but one vivid recollection is our family trips into town that almost always ended at Long John Silver’s.
*Yes, we really sledded down a coal pile. As a Michigan family missing winter hills, my mom dressed us in snowsuits and turned a coal pile into our slope.
Hush puppies weren’t invented at Long John Silver’s, and they aren’t unique to any single place, but that restaurant’s deep-fried cornbread nuggets were the highlight of those outings. I ordered the fried fish dinner every time, not for the fish but for the hush puppies. I’d poke around the cardboard clam shell hoping to find one more hidden nugget.
Crunchy, dark golden, and studded with onions, those little balls of fried cornbread were irresistible. My mom only fried on special occasions—lumpia, hush puppies—so fried food felt celebratory. That association stuck with me, though I’m more willing to break out the deep fryer than she ever was.
After a good day—coming back from a vendor meeting where I was introduced as a new member of my local farmers’ market management team—I celebrated the only sensible way I know how: by making hush puppies. I heated two inches of oil in a heavy pan, chopped a few mix-ins, measured and mixed the batter, and stood ready to fry as soon as the oil hit temperature.
The second the batter hit the hot oil and the scent rose, my children, who had been running and playing outside, appeared asking, “What smells so good? Are those for us?” My six-year-old wanted to know whether the hush puppies were part of dinner or the whole meal. They don’t take long—around three minutes per batch—and by the time the first batch came out the kids were poised with forks, ready to dive in. One of them declared it “the best part dinner of my whole life. Ever.”
These aren’t plain hush puppies, though a simple version is excellent. I bulked mine up with minced ham, green onions, sweet onion and spicy pepper jack cheese. The result is craggy, crispy cornmeal fritters with melted pepper jack, salty ham and two kinds of onion in every bite. They’re far beyond the standard fast-food hush puppy.
I usually serve these with a smoky dipping sauce and happily overindulge, but they also pair well with fish dinners, soups, salads, or chili. They make a great appetizer on a buffet with toothpicks and napkins handy.
While you prepare a main, I’ll be reclining with my feet up, trying to justify how many hush puppies I ate. Here are some notes to get the best results:
- Use a coarse, gritty cornmeal if you can. The standard canister cornmeal is fine, but coarser grinds give a superior texture.
- Grate your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated to prevent clumping and doesn’t melt as smoothly. Freshly grated pepper jack gives a better, creamier melt.
- Finely mince the ham, green onions and sweet onion. Small bits mix evenly so every bite has a balance of flavors.
- Don’t fuss over perfect shapes when dropping batter into the oil. The irregular, jagged bits fry up crispiest and are the most satisfying.
Kitchen Sink Hush Puppies | Pepper Jack and Ham Deep Fried Cornbread
Rebecca Lindamood
Ingredients
- 2 inches of canola peanut or vegetable oil, or lard in a high-sided, heavy-bottomed pot or skillet (or an electric deep fryer)
- 1 1/4 cups cornmeal
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1/4-1/2 cup finely minced or chopped fully cooked ham
- 1/4 cup finely minced or chopped green onions
- 1/4 cup finely minced or chopped sweet onion
- 1/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Instructions
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Place the oil-filled pot over medium-high heat and bring the oil to 375°F. Line a bowl or baking pan with paper towels and set aside.
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In a large bowl whisk together the cornmeal, flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, black pepper and cayenne. In a separate bowl whisk melted butter, yogurt or buttermilk and the egg. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, add the ham, both onions and the shredded pepper jack, and gently fold with a spatula just until combined and no dry pockets remain.
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Use a 1 1/2 teaspoon scoop (or heap a teaspoon) to drop batter into the hot oil. Fry only as many as will comfortably fit, leaving room for them to move. Fry 2–3 minutes per batch, turning about halfway through. Transfer finished hush puppies to the paper towel–lined bowl or pan to drain briefly before serving.
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Serve hot for best texture, though they remain tasty warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in a paper towel–lined, covered container in the refrigerator and reheat briefly in a hot oven to re-crisp.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use with your preferred tool.
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