Southern Jalapeno Hushpuppies (Hush Puppies)

Jalapeno Hushpuppies are a requirement with all of our fried fish or shrimp.  It’s a must! They are spicy, crispy, golden brown little nuggets of fried cornbread heaven.  No fish fry is complete without them.

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Why You’ll Love These

We recently had these with our Beer Battered Fish.  If you are going to be deep-frying fish anyway, throw in some of these bad boys.  I promise you won’t regret it.

This jalapeno hush puppies recipe is quick and easy and pairs well with fried shrimp or fish.

They are the perfect combination of flavors and textures that are great as an appetizer also.

Some of our other favorite side dish recipes are Summer Succotash, Macaroni Salad with Apple Cider Vinegar, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, No Mayo Potato Salad, and Easy Twice Baked Potatoes.

Are They Hush Puppies or Hushpuppies?

According to Wikipedia and The Grammarist, they are known as hush puppies, hushpuppies, and sometimes hush-puppies.

Key Ingredients

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and instructions.

• Dry Ingredients – White or yellow cornmeal works fine. Be sure to use all-purpose flour. Baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. The sugar is optional. I typically don’t use sugar in cornbread or biscuits, but for these hush puppies, I recommend using sugar.
• Wet Ingredients – Buttermilk and large eggs.
• Jalapenos and Onions – Use fresh jalapeno peppers. They tend to be milder than jarred jalapenos. I prefer to use a sweet yellow onion such as Vidalia onion.
• Oil for Frying – A neutral oil with a high heat point is best, such as vegetable, canola oil, or peanut oil.

How to Make Jalapeno Hushpuppies

Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, then add the onion and fresh jalapeño peppers and stir until incorporated and the batter is thick.

Fill a heavy-bottomed pot (Dutch oven) or deep fryer with a few inches of oil. Heat the oil for frying to 360 degrees F.

Scoop with a cookie dough scoop (or spoon). The cookie dough scoop helps keep them as round as possible.

Working in batches, drop the batter one tablespoon at a time into the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pot.

Fry until deep golden on all sides, turning in the oil for even cooking, about 5 minutes. Remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt (if desired) while hot.

Repeat with the remaining batter.

Sorry, I didn’t get a photo of the frying method. I was a little busy…ok, I forgot.

Simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. It takes less than 5 minutes to mix the batter and only about 5 minutes of frying time.

Fast and easy jalapeno hush puppies! It’s a perfect side dish for fish or shrimp dinners.

Tips

• If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make homemade buttermilk by stirring 1/2 cup of milk with 1 1/2 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. It should look somewhat separated at the top, with a little light curdling.
• Yes, it’s three teaspoons of baking powder. The baking powder creates air bubbles giving these hush puppies their light and airy texture.
• Do not overmix the batter. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
• I use a heavy-bottomed pan such as a Dutch oven. But you can also use a cast iron skillet as long as it’s deep enough for a couple of inches of oil. You want the hush puppies to float, not stick to the bottom of the skillet.
• Use a deep frying thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil.
• If the oil temperature drops, be sure to allow it to come back up before dropping the next batch. Otherwise, the hushpuppies will soak up the oil.
• Drain them on paper towels or, even better, a wire rack over paper towels in a sheet pan. This will help keep them crispy.

FAQs

More Delicious Side Recipes

Crispy Southern Buttermilk Fried Okra

Buttermilk Battered Onion Rings Recipe

Creole Cornbread Recipe

Jalapeno Hushpuppies

Jalapeno Hushpuppies – These spicy little-fried nuggets of cornmeal are the perfect companion to any fried fish!

4.89 from 17 votes

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Course: Appetizer, Bread

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 104kcal

Author: Leigh Harris

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 1 cup Cornmeal white or yellow
• 3/4 cup All-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons Baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 tablespoon Granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
• 2 large Eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk
• 1/4 cup Onion diced small
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup Jalapeno peppers (as desired)chopped
• Canola or vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

• Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk, in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, then add the onion and jalapenos and stir until incorporated and the batter is thick.
  1 cup Cornmeal, 3/4 cup All-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons Baking powder, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 tablespoon Granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda, 2 large Eggs, beaten, 1/2 cup Buttermilk, 1/4 cup Onion, 1/4 to 1/2 cup Jalapeno peppers
• In a heavy-bottomed pot (Dutch oven) or deep fryer, heat enough oil to come halfway up the sides of the pot, to 360 degrees F.
  Canola or vegetable oil for frying
• Working in batches, drop the batter, 1 tablespoon (I use a cookie dough scoop) at a time, into the oil, being careful to not overcrowd the pot. Fry until deep golden on all sides, turning in the oil for even cooking, about 5 minutes. Transfer the hush puppies to a paper towel-lined dish and sprinkle with salt (if desired) while hot.

Notes

This recipe yields about 12 to 15 pieces, depending on the scoop size.

Use a thermometer to control the temperature of the oil.

Homemade Buttermilk – Stir 1/2 cup milk with 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar together and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Storing – Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or an air fryer.

Nutrition

Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 239mg | Potassium: 194mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 115IU | Vitamin C: 6.9mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg

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