Mouth Watering Hushpuppies

One of my most memorable moments while stationed in Hawaii was several weeks after my arrival on Oahu, I was dining out with some friends in Waikiki. First of all, you can't order "Flounder" on the west coast, they don't have it. Their substitution is "Mahi Mahi" or "Dolphin", that's not to be confused with "Flipper", it's the non-mammal version.

That goes for "Hushpuppies" as well! They look at you really strange when you order "Hushpuppies" in a restaurant....to them it's a shoe!

Based on the web research I have done, there seems to be quite a bit of confusion, especially from Europeans over the "Hushpuppy" and it's origin, most ascribing it to an "Urban Legend"!

According to Wikipedia a group of Ursuline Nuns brought the recipe from France to New Orleans in the 1700's. Nonetheless, Hush Puppies are in my opinion an origin of the "Deep South" or shall I say, the Antebellumn period. During this period, there were social gatherings and barbecues, and the small cornbread mixtures were deep fried and thrown to the pups to keep them quiet! Another legend is that the hushpuppies were given to the Dogs by the Confederate soldiers to quieten them from giving away their location to the Yankee Soldiers.

Hushpuppies are an accompaniment to Seafood as well as Barbecue!

Hushpuppies

Ingredients:
1 cup Self-rising Cornmeal (white)
1 cup Self-rising Flour
1/2 Cup Mayo
1 Egg
(optional)
1 Cup Minced Onion
1 Cup Minced Bell Pepper
Buttermilk

Mix ingredients with just enough buttermilk to hold together. Roll into balls about the size of an egg or smaller, whichever you prefer, and deep fry.

By the way, Hushpuppies with green pepper and onion are called "Creole Hushpuppies" and a nice accompaniment to Shrimp Gumbo!