Jane Burbank’s Hushpuppies

Hushpuppies are fried in hot drippings left after frying fish, picking up
some of the fresh fish flavor.

Combine the corn meal, flour, pancake mix, salt, sugar, and pepper in a
bowl. Beat the egg lightly in a measuring cup, and add the onion and
enough milk to fill to the 1-cup mark. Mix the liquids into the dry mixture
well. If not moist throughout, add a tablespoonfull or two more of milk,
blending well.

Put any fish drippings you may have in a heavy frying pan and add enough
oil to a depth of 1/4 inch. Heat and drop a small amount of batter into
the fat. If it sizzles, the fat is hot enough. Make a test hushpuppy: Drop
a teaspoonful of batter in; if it spreads like a pancake, the batter is too
thin, so stir a tablespoonful or two of corn meal into the uncooked batter.
If, after the test hushpuppy has cooked, it is dense and dry, stir 2 or 3
teasponns of milk into the batter. When the batter consistency is right,
drop the batter from the tip of a teaspoon into the pan; cook 6, 8, or 10
at a time, being careful not to let the hushpuppies overlap while frying.
Cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes, turn, and brown the other side,
about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and keep hot while frying the
remaining hushpuppies. Add more oil to the pan as needed, a little at a
time, to prevent cooking. Fat should be kept medium-hot, to brown
hushpuppies. Check often so that hushpuppies do not scorch.

NOTE: In Florida many like to use self-rising flour and corn meal as well
as pancake mix in hushpuppies and other breads. If you wish, substitute
all-purpose flour for self-rising and the pancake mix; use plain corn meal
in place of the self-rising type. Then to the dry ingredients add 1
tablespoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the liquid ingredients,
then proceed with the recipe as directed.