Hatch Chile Hush Puppies

Hatch Chile Hush Puppies are delicious  classic cornmeal hushpuppies with a spicy hatch chile kick and can be baked or fried.

Can you believe summer is almost over? It seems like it flew by! Labor day weekend is right around the corner. One of the things my family likes to do when we go to the lake for a holiday weekend is have a fish fry. We have a lot of fishermen in our family, and so we end up with tons of fish by the end of the summer. What better way to use them than by getting the family together for a big meal?

One of the fun things about these type of summer meals is the laid-back feeling of gathering around the table, eating fresh fish as it comes out of the fryer, with no sort of schedule. It’s a great contrast to the rigid structure of weekdays, which is what the weekend is all about, in my opinion!

No fish fry is complete without hush puppies, right? I made these the other weekend when my family met up at the lake for a back-to-school party for my little brother (who is not so little any more, he just started his senior year of high school!). I had just been to Central Market and bought roasted hatch chiles during the famous annual hatch chile festival, so I thought they would make delicious hush puppies. They turned out wonderfully fluffy with a crispy outside and tons of flavor! Perfect to go with the trout my brother in law caught for our fish fry. If you don’t have fresh roasted hatch chiles, you can always use canned green chiles or roasted poblanos or jalapeños.

If you don’t want to mess with deep frying these, you could also bake them. They don’t turn out quite as crispy, but it’s a nice alternative if you are trying to avoid a mess (or extra calories). Simply add 1/4 cup oil to batter, then flour a cutting board or flat surface and your hands. Roll batter into small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F until cooked through and slightly golden, about 8 minutes.

Hatch Chile Hush Puppies

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: About 25 hush puppoes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• Pinch black pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup club soda (or milk of choice)
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 jalapeño, seeds removed and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 hatch chiles, roasted, seeds removed and diced (or 1 can)
• oil for frying

For the Tartar Sauce:

• 1/2 c mayo or greek yogurt
• 1 diced jalapeño
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped green onion
• Pinch salt + pepper

Instructions

1. Stir together dry ingredients. In a small bowl combine milk or baking soda and eggs.
2. Add wet ingredients and veggies to dry. Stir to combine.
3. Working in batches, drop by spoonfuls into at least 3 inches of oil heated to 350°F until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. Turn while cooking to brown all sides.

If baking:

1. Add 1/4 cup oil to batter.
2. Flour a cutting board or flat surface and your hands. Roll into small balls and place on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake at 350°F until golden and inside is cooked through, about 8 minutes.

For the Tartar Sauce:

1. Stir together all ingredients and chill until ready to serve.