Jalapeno and Shrimp Hush Puppies
Jalapenos are the most popular chile peppers in the US. This is probably due to the availability and versatility of the chile. Jalapenos have a balanced combination of flavor and heat.
The demand for these have caused breeders to develop a broad range of varieties. You can now get jalapenos with various heat level and sizes. These can be used in salsas, stuffed, or eaten straight with cheeseburgers (my personal favorite).
Ingredients:
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 pound raw shrimp, shelled, deveined
1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. vegetable oil
2 cups white cornmeal
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups water
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. melted bacon drippings
oil, sufficient for deep frying
Instructions:
Saute the onion, shrimp, jalapeno and parsley in 2 tsp. of oil for 1-2 minutes. Set aside. Mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.
Bring 1-1/2 cups of water to a rolling boil. Take the pan off the heat and pour in the cornmeal mixture, and beat well. Let cool for 2-3 minutes, then add the sauteed ingredients and the egg and bacon grease, beating well after each addition.
The completed dough should be fairly dry, but not cohesive. Let cool, then fill the pan with 3-4″ of oil. Bring the oil to 375F. and drop full teaspoons of dough into the hot oil. Fry for about 1 minute or until the hush puppies are golden brown and cooked through.
Drain and serve hot.
Makes about 30 hush puppies.