Shel's Version of "Bishop's Hush Puppies"

[Shel_B]

Shel's Version of Bishop's Hush Puppies

These are called "Bishop's Hush Puppies." Bishop was a maintenance man at Texas A&M and became somewhat of a celebrity for his hush puppies. It was said that he'd often have friends and co-workers over for a feast of catfish, beans, coleslaw and, among other things, his famous hush puppies. Latecomers were in danger of missing out on the 'pups, so the guests always arrived on time for Bishop's parties.

I got the recipe back in the late 1980s while on a several month driving trip around the US, following, in part, William Least Heat-Moon's journey as documented in his book Blue Highways, and stopping in Dime Box, TX. just because the name sounded interesting. Texas A&M is nearby, in College Station, and, through the recommendation of a local friend, found myself at Bishop's place where I sampled his puppies and was able to get some idea of his recipe.

 

Ingredients

 

1 cup each water ground white corn meal (140 grams) and AP flour (120 grams)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (Texas 1015's are great when in season)

4 scallions, including tops, finely chopped

1 or 2 jalapenos, seeds removed, diced fine

1 roasted and skinned sweet red pepper, finely diced

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs

frying oil

　

Directions

 

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl stir together the buttermilk and eggs until well mixed, and then add to the dry ingredients, stirring well.

Pour some oil (1/2-inch or so) into a heavy cast iron skillet (I guess you can use your deep fryer) and heat until almost sizzling. HOT! HOT! HOT! Drop batter into oil by tablespoonsful and cook over moderate heat until browned and puffy then, if using a skillet, which is what Bishop used, turn and brown the other side. When done, remove with slotted spoon, drain on newspaper or paper towels. Keep oil hot and, if using a skillet, add more oil as needed to maintain depth.

These are very good with catfish or 'cue and Terry Bryant's Carrot-Cayenne Coleslaw.

[ElsieD]

Shel_B, I am planing to make these.  How much does the recipe make?

[Shel_B]

19 hours ago, ElsieD said:

Shel_B, I am planing to make these.  How much does the recipe make?

 

Hi ... it's been more than six years since I've made these, but I recall that the recipe made about two dozen.  Memory tells me that I made balls about 3/4 to an  inch in diameter.  Bishop just scooped the batter up on a spoon and fried them with little, if any, forming.  That works very nicely, gives perhaps some more crunch and crispness.  Let us know how things worked out.

[gfweb]

Blue Highways was a great read

Edited November 14, 2016 by gfweb (log)

[Shel_B]

4 hours ago, gfweb said:

Blue Highways was a great read

 

 

Yes, it's part of my favorite "travel trilogy" consisting of Steinbeck's Travels with Charley and Bill Bryson's The Lost Continent.  All three essentially set out on the same adventure, exploring the United States ...

[Wayne]

On ‎14‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 1:44 PM, Shel_B said:

 

Yes, it's part of my favorite "travel trilogy" consisting of Steinbeck's Travels with Charley and Bill Bryson's The Lost Continent.  All three essentially set out on the same adventure, exploring the United States ...

 

You might want to add Philip Caputo's 'The Longest Road: overland in search of America from Key West to the Arctic Ocean' to that list. A perspective of a post 2008 U.S.

 

[IowaDee]

Another vote for Bryson's books.  Love everything he's written but Lost Continent is tops.  My SIL grew up a couple of house away from the Bryson family in Des Moines and dated Bill's younger sister.  Okay, back to your regular programming.  Sorry.

[gfweb]

Edwin Way Teale wrote a charming series of 'road books' that followed the seasons across North America. More nature -oriented than food, but worth a read.

 

[ElsieD]

How important is it to use white cornmeal as opposed to yellow cornmeal?

[Shel_B]

On ‎11‎/‎16‎/‎2016 at 2:01 AM, Wayne said:

 

You might want to add Philip Caputo's 'The Longest Road: overland in search of America from Key West to the Arctic Ocean' to that list. A perspective of a post 2008 U.S.

 

Another "road trip" favorite of mine is Road Fever: Tim Cahill reports on the road trip to end all road trips: a journey that took him from Tierra del Fuego to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in a record-breaking twenty three and a half days.

[Shel_B]

2 hours ago, ElsieD said:

How important is it to use white cornmeal as opposed to yellow cornmeal?

 

I don't think it matters.  More important is not using too coarse a grind, IMO.

[ElsieD]

I made these tonight and had a problem with the dough (batter?)   It was of a pourable nature which I didn't think was right. I added about another 1/3   cup each of cornmeal and flour and while the batter was still quite wet, I managed to have it hold together long enough to hit the pot.  They are very good, but I'm wondering  how loose the batter is supposed to be?  I have never made these before so have no idea what it should get like.   I should add that the extra cornmeal and flour were added to half the recipe.

Edited November 20, 2016 by ElsieD
Added picture. (log)

[kayb]

Hushpuppies should be firm enough you can essentially mold them in your hands before frying. 

 

They're good with some whole kernel corn mixed in, too.

 

And I have had excellent hushpuppies made with beer. Don't have a recipe, because I don't deep-fry much of anything if I can help it.

 

[ElsieD]

@kayb  Before my extra additions,  the mixture was a cross between a pancake batter and a crepe batter.   Afterwards, I could get it on a spoon but any excess fell off back into the bowl and when I was putting them in the pan, little blobs would fall into the oil.  Nothing shapeable about this mixture.  I dislike deep frying so I really have to want something to do it.  Thank you for your post.

 

Elsie

[Thanks for the Crepes]

On 11/19/2016 at 8:07 PM, ElsieD said:

I made these tonight and had a problem with the dough (batter?)   It was of a pourable nature which I didn't think was right. I added about another 1/3   cup each of cornmeal and flour and while the batter was still quite wet, I managed to have it hold together long enough to hit the pot.  They are very good, but I'm wondering  how loose the batter is supposed to be?  I have never made these before so have no idea what it should get like.   I should add that the extra cornmeal and flour were added to half the recipe.

 

Elsie,

 

This recipe is very similar to my favorite cornbread recipe I've been using for years. My recipe doesn't call for veggie inclusions, although I've added them. The raw veggies are going to release some additional moisture during cooking which has not been a bad thing when I have done it. My recipe only calls for 1 cup of milk or buttermilk. That's the proportion I use for the rare occasions I make hush puppies, usually for outdoor fish fries. The 1-1/2 c liquid in the bishops recipe is closer to what I use when I make stove top corn pancakes with my old recipe to beat the summer heat. Oh, also my recipe calls for 1/4  c fat in the batter, and I use butter or olive oil for cornbread, but reduce it to 1 T for hush puppies because they will get cooked in fat. If you make this recipe again, try reducing the liquid to only 1 c. You can fry a few and if they are too dense and dry, easily stir in a bit more liquid as you go. Hush puppies should not be disintegrating bits off into the frying oil.

Edited November 22, 2016 by Thanks for the Crepes (log)

[Wayne]

14 hours ago, Shel_B said:

Another "road trip" favorite of mine is Road Fever: Tim Cahill reports on the road trip to end all road trips: a journey that took him from Tierra del Fuego to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in a record-breaking twenty three and a half days.

 

Agree to that. Tim Cahill did some very good travel and adventure writing.

The food on their trip still makes me cringe when I think about it: an almost exclusive diet of beef jerky, tetrapak milkshakes and quadruple strength instant coffee sludge.

 

 

[Shel_B]

On ‎11‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 5:07 PM, ElsieD said:

I made these tonight and had a problem with the dough (batter?)   It was of a pourable nature which I didn't think was right. I added about another 1/3   cup each of cornmeal and flour and while the batter was still quite wet, I managed to have it hold together long enough to hit the pot.  They are very good, but I'm wondering  how loose the batter is supposed to be?  I have never made these before so have no idea what it should get like.   I should add that the extra cornmeal and flour were added to half the recipe.

 

 

They sure do look good.  My apologies that the recipe didn't work perfectly for you without some adjustment.  I guess  I'm used to making adjustments as I go along, not always ending up with the recipe as written.  Variations in kitchens, ingredients, tools such as measuring devices, etc., can have an effect on the final proportions. It's not unusual to make  a recipe a few times before it's just "perfect" for me.  I hope you'll continue to refine this recipe for your taste and situation ... it's worth it, IMO.  What cornmeal and grind did you use?

Edited November 21, 2016 by Shel_B
Added a thought (log)