Catfish Parlour Hush Puppies

In Austin, Texas, Catfish Parlour is the place for all-you-can-eat fried catfish. But before you get to the fish, you recieve a bowl of freshly fried hush puppies on your table with two dipping sauces: tartar sauce, and jalapeno tartar sauce. I can usually eat a bowl all by myself, and love both the regular and jalapeno tartar sauce. Recipe posted by request in the Austin American-Statesman a million years ago. The recipe is cut down from the restaurant proportion. The recipe makes a large number determined by how big the little puppies are rolled out. Instead of being round, Catfish Parlour's hush puppies are rolled out like cigarettes in little tubes.

• Ready In: 1 hr 7 mins
• Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 1  gallon water
• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 cup salt
• 2  tablespoons  granulated garlic
• 3  tablespoons  granulated onion
• 4  lbs yellow cornmeal
•  oil (for frying)

Directions

1. Place one gallon of water in a large pot.
2. Add the sugar,slat, garlic and onion.
3. Bring to a rolling boil.
4. Turn the flame off and stir in the corn meal. The mush will be very stiff, so stiff that it is difficult to stir.
5. When mixed, scrape the mush out in a dishpan, flatten out on top and allow to cool.
6. Later, if a skin has formed on top, peel it off and discard it.
7. Knead the mush until pliable and easy to work with.
8. Pinch off whatever size pieces you want the hugh puppies to be and form them by hand just as you would do with modeling clay. Make each hush puppy out of a rope or tube you've rolled between your palms. I like mine the length of about 4 inches, and the diameter of a kindergartner's chunky pencil.
9. Deep fry at 350 degrees until they are hard on the outside.
10. Do not put too many in the fryer at once because the oil will get too cool.
11. Prep time includes the time for the mush to cool.