Making copycat Long John Silver’s hush puppies was the crowning moment in my efforts to duplicate my childhood memories of eating at the fast food restaurant. I made the fish. I made the fries. And I made the chicken planks. And now, I’ve made the hush puppies. They have the perfect texture and the perfect corn flavor. What fantastic hush puppies they are! Get out the ketchup because it’s time for some hush puppy dunkin’! I grinned from ear-to-ear while I devoured these, each bite reminding me of days gone by years ago!
Why Are They Called ‘Hush Puppies’?
People often tell that the origin of the name ‘hush puppies’ can be traced back to hunters and fishermen who would toss the fried cornmeal to their dogs to stop them from barking. I recommend the article The Real History of Hushpuppies by Robert Moss over on Serious Eats.
If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just the two of us, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size for both of us. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.
I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.
This copycat of Long John Silver’s hush puppies is flat-out fantastic. For something a little different you’ll also love my okra hush puppies!
Copycat Long John Silver’s Hush Puppies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 egg
- ½ cup cornmeal
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Canola oil for frying
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together the milk and egg.
- In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients except for the oil.
- Whisk in the milk and egg mixture. You want the batter to be somewhat thick. If too thin add more cornmeal.
- Heat a few inches of oil to 375 F in a deep fryer or Dutch oven.
- Working on batches, drop batter into the hot oil. I used a 1/2 tablespoon measuring spoon. If you want smaller hush puppies use a teaspoon measuring spoon.
- Fry until golden brown, flipping after the bottom is brown.
- Remove to a paper towel-lined plate or cooling rack.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce (ketchup!).
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.