Bacon Jalapeño Hush Puppies With Honey Butter Recipe

A hush puppy is like a small ball of deep-fried cornbread, with a perfectly crispy outside and a tender flavorful center. Add a kick of heat and smokiness with jalapeños and bacon and you have flavor-packed bacon jalapeño hush puppies. These balls of fried dough are most popular in the southern U.S., but if you live near a Long John Silver's, you can find them on the menu there across the country. They have quite the storied history, with Native American roots and many different theories about how they got their unusual name. However they came about, one thing is for sure: hush puppies are a delightful side dish for fried fish, crab cakes, shrimp, or a classic bbq pulled pork. 

Recipe developer Kate Shungu notes, "Hush puppies are best served warm, straight from the fryer. These are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and the perfect match for a homemade honey butter on the side. You don't need a dedicated fryer to make these — a large saucepan with a heavy bottom (similar to what you'd cook pasta in) will do just fine. Save the leftover oil for making beignets for breakfast the next morning!"

The hush puppies are made with a mixture of cornmeal, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, egg, and buttermilk to form the batter. Crisp bacon, onion, and diced jalapeño are added into the batter before frying in vegetable oil. The homemade honey butter is a simple mixture of butter, honey, and salt. 

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-sided saucepan over medium heat until it reaches 350–375 F. The oil should be about 2 inches high in the pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, 1 teaspoon salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

Gently whisk in the egg and buttermilk.

Fold in the onion, bacon, and jalapeño.

Drop the batter by 2 tablespoon-sized scoops into the hot oil, about 2 inches apart in the pan. Fry for 2–3 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.

Flip and cook for an additional 2–3 minutes, or until golden brown. Repeat with any remaining batter.

Remove from the oil and let drain on paper towels or a wire rack.

Stir together the softened butter, honey, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.

Serve the hush puppies with the honey butter for dipping.

While frying food can seem intimidating, the process is relatively straightforward: You don't even need a thermometer. There are several ways to check the temperature of oil before frying food. The easiest method is to heat the oil over medium heat for 5–8 minutes, then stick the end of a wooden spoon in the oil. If the oil bubbles gently around the wood, the oil is ready for frying (around 350 F). If the oil does nothing, keep heating the oil. If it splatters violently, reduce the heat and allow the oil to cool slightly. 

Another method is the bread test. Add a small cube of bread to the hot oil and start a stopwatch. The bread should be golden brown in around 30 seconds if the oil is ready for frying. If the bread is a pale brown after 30 seconds, heat the oil for another few minutes. If it's dark brown, reduce the heat and try again in a few minutes.

If you're still unsure, use the hush puppies as a guide. Drop one hush puppy into the oil to start, and cook according to the instructions in the recipe. Remove it from the oil, and carefully split it open. If it's cooked through on the inside and nicely golden brown on the outside, the oil is the correct temperature for frying. 

The beauty of hush puppies is that they are a blank slate for your favorite add-ins and dipping sauces. Want to spice up the batter itself? Add garlic powder, onion powder, Creole seasoning, paprika, or cayenne powder along with the cornmeal, flour, and other dry ingredients. Start with one teaspoon and add additional seasoning to taste (in the case of cayenne, start with half a teaspoon; a little goes a long way). 

Swap the bacon or diced jalapeño for combinations such as finely chopped green onions and grated cheddar cheese, chives and shredded Swiss cheese, or very finely diced bell peppers and shredded mozzarella. If you'd like actual pockets of cheese in the hush puppies, use very small cubes of cheese in place of the shredded cheese. 

As for dipping sauces, a store-bought or homemade tartar sauce is a traditional accompaniment for hush puppies. Plain honey or remoulade also pair nicely with them. And BBQ sauce or ketchup make fine dipping sauces for hush puppies.