Everyone loves fried mozzarella, especially in the form of mozzarella sticks, but once you discover mozzarella-stuffed hush puppies, you may find it hard to go back to the basics.
Take your love of mozzarella and wrap it in fried cornmeal batter with minced jalapeño chiles, and you’ve got yourself a game-changer. Mozzarella-stuffed hush puppies are a lot like mozzarella sticks, if mozzarella sticks had a Southern kick.
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They’re beyond easy to make, too.
You essentially mix up most of the ingredients in a bowl to form a zesty batter, grab a handful to form into a ball, and stick a cube of fresh mozzarella inside.
And, of course, you then fry those puppies in a couple of inches of oil, manipulating them safely with a pair of tongs. This recipe makes about a dozen mozzarella-stuffed hush puppies, enough to share with family and friends or to completely inhale yourself if you’re feeling selfish.
Ready to embrace the cheesy goodness? Here’s the recipe:
- vegetable oil for frying
- 2 cups fine cornmeal
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp minced jalapeño chiles
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 beaten eggs
- 12 half-inch cubes of mozzarella
- vegetable oil for frying
First things first: whisk together your cornmeal, baking powder, jalapeños, salt, and pepper, and then stir in your milk and eggs. Mix it all up until a nice batter forms, at which point, it’s time to form 12 balls of batter in your hand and stuff a mozzarella cube into each one.
Next up, heat up about two inches of oil in a pan with high sides, until the oil reaches 365 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your hush puppies in the oil, perhaps a few at a time, and turn them around with a pair of tongs until they become evenly golden on all sides. Put your creation on a paper towel lined plate, letting some of the excess oil drain, and wait for those puppies to cool before you serve.
