Puppy love
These fried cornmeal fritters are a traditional side dish here in the Lowcountry.
Nothing complements a plate of fried seafood quite like a basket of steaming, crispy hush puppies. They’re easy to make and are the perfect side dish for any Lowcountry gathering — oyster roasts, fish fries, backyard barbecues and more. This how-to recipe from LOCAL Life illustrator Megan Goheen results in the perfect soft-on-the-inside, crunchy-on-the-outside bites, best served right after frying. Frame this illustration in your kitchen for easy reference.
Hot spots for hush puppies
If you don’t have time to follow Megan’s seven-step process, here are a few of our favorite local hush puppy spots.
- A Lowcountry Backyard
- Big Jim’s BBQ
- The Black Marlin
- Cahill’s Market
- Captain Woody’s
- Choo Choo BBQ Xpress
- Dukes Barbeque
- ELA’s On the Water
- FARM Bluffton
- FISH Casual Coastal Seafood
- Fishcamp on 11th Street
- Fishcamp on Broad Creek
- Gillian’s Seafood Restaurant
- Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks
- Kenny B’s
- Marley’s
- Old Fort Pub
- Old Oyster Factory
- Plums
- Poseidon
- RockFish
- Salty Dog Cafe
- The Sea Shack
- Skillets Cafe
- Skull Creek Boathouse
- Skull Creek Dockside
- Squat and Gobble
- Up the Creek Pub & Grill
FUN FACT
For the dogs
Use of the word “hush puppy” dates back to the Civil War. Confederate soldiers are said to have tossed fried cornbread to quell the barks of their dogs. Hunters, fishermen and other cooks also would feed a fried cornmeal mixture to their dogs to “hush the puppies” during cookouts or fish fries.
