One afternoon last week the phone rang. My friend Kim had been driving all over three counties selling real estate and was nearby. Oddly, she had not yet had lunch. She had to wait until I’d taken a few photos, but we fixed her up for lunch, and good. It just so happens I was recipe testing crab hushpuppies. Oh, and hollandaise sauce.
I’m not going to waste my time or yours telling you the story behind hush puppies. We’ve all heard it a jillion times. But I will tell you this: make these. Don’t wait until you’re frying fish. Make these crab hushpuppies SOON, and then you can make them again the next time you fry fish. I would be just as happy to serve these two or three at a time as a first course on the good china as I would be to hand a bowl of the batter to the guys out back manning the deep fryer. But in the latter case, I would certainly make a double batch and not leave the menfolk alone with them for long.
Crab Hushpuppies with Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients
- For the hollandiase:
- 3 egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 T. lemon juice
- 1 stick butter, melted
- Dash of cayenne or to taste
- Salt to taste
- A little bit of hot water as needed
- For the hushpuppies:
- 1 ½ cups self-rising cornmeal
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 t. seasoned salt (I use Lawry’s)
- 1 t. Old Bay Seasoning
- ½ t. onion powder
- ¼ t. baking powder
- ¼ t. baking soda
- ½ cup minced red bell pepper
- 3 or 4 scallions, green part only, sliced thin
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup beer
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ½ lb. (8 oz.) lump crabmeat, picked over and checked for stray shell pieces
- Vegetable oil or peanut oil for frying
Instructions
- Make the hollandaise: Using a double boiler or a bowl set over hot--not simmering--water, beat the egg yolks vigorously with a whisk until the yolks are very smooth and a little pale. You must make sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water.
- Immediately but slowly and in only a very thin stream, whisk in the melted butter without stopping, but slowly. (Did I mention that you should add the butter in a thin stream slowly? You should.) Season with a sprinkle of cayenne and a pinch of salt. Add the lemon juice and whisk well.
- Leave the bowl or the top part of the double boiler over the hot water, but remove from the stovetop. This can sit beside the stove while you finish the hushpuppies if you stir occasionally. If you need to thin the hollandaise right before serving, whisk in VERY hot water, ONE DROP AT A TIME, until you get the texture you want. It won’t take much.
- Make the hushpuppies: Mix the dry ingredients. Add the bell pepper, scallions, egg, beer, and buttermilk. Stir until the batter is well mixed. Fold in the crabmeat. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
- Heat 2” oil in a heavy bottomed pot. I use a cast iron Dutch oven. Turn the heat to medium and allow oil to heat to 350°. A nifty trick I learned from a Malaysian cook is to test the oil temperature with the end of a wooden spoon. Stick the end of the spoon in the hot oil, and if it is immediately covered in bubbles, your oil is ready for frying. If not, remove the spoon and try again in a little bit. Working in batches, drop batter by the spoonful into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. When the bottom is golden brown, turn the hushpuppies over and brown the other side. Remove from the oil with a spider strainer and drain on paper towels.
- Serve with hollandaise sauce.
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