Golden Crispy Cornmeal Balls (Printer-Friendly)

Crispy, golden cornmeal balls with a tender, savory center ideal as a Southern side dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 1 cup yellow medium grind cornmeal
02 - ½ cup all-purpose flour
03 - 1½ teaspoons baking powder
04 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
05 - 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
06 - 1 teaspoon salt
07 - ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
08 - ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

→ Wet Ingredients

09 - ¾ cup buttermilk
10 - 1 large egg

→ Aromatics

11 - ½ cup finely diced yellow or sweet onion
12 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or scallions (optional)

→ For Frying

13 - Vegetable oil, approximately 6 to 8 cups, for deep-frying

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, black pepper, and cayenne if using.
02 - In a separate bowl, beat the buttermilk and egg until fully incorporated.
03 - Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just blended, avoiding overmixing.
04 - Fold in the diced onions and chives or scallions, if desired. Allow the batter to rest for five minutes.
05 - Preheat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pot to 350°F (175°C).
06 - Using two spoons or a small scoop, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter carefully into the hot oil in batches to prevent overcrowding.
07 - Cook the hushpuppies for 2 to 3 minutes, turning occasionally, until they achieve a golden brown and crisp exterior.
08 - Remove hushpuppies with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They're impossibly easy to make but taste like you've been deep-frying for decades.
  • That crispy-outside, tender-inside contrast is genuinely addictive and hard to stop eating once you start.
  • They transform any meal into something that feels a little festive, even on a regular weeknight.
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter is the one mistake that will make hushpuppies tough and heavy instead of light and tender—fold, don't stir aggressively.
  • The oil temperature matters more than you'd think; if it's too cool they'll be greasy, and if it's too hot they'll brown before the inside cooks through.
  • Don't try to fry too many at once because they'll stick together and lower the oil temperature, ruining your batch.
03 -
  • Keep an instant-read thermometer by the stove so you can monitor the oil temperature throughout frying—it'll drop as you add more batter, so adjust the heat to keep it at 350°F.
  • If you don't have buttermilk on hand, mix ¾ cup milk with 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and let it sit for 5 minutes until it's slightly curdled—it works just as well and tastes nearly identical.
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