I've never been a big fan of using cornmeal in my fish breading, it always seemed too grainy for my liking, so I generally stick with a basic flour/breadcrumb/cracker base, but I had some of my Hushpuppy Cornbread left over from the other night (went great with my deep-fried K3 Walleye) and decided I'd try that as it's already been cooked once and the cornmeal has been softened up.
Sorry I can't give exact measurements here (I never cook anything exactly the same way twice)
but basically I took a portion of the HPCB and added:
about 2/3 that much A.P. Flour,
a hand full of TownHouse Crackers,
a healthy shake of black pepper,
some Garlic powder,
a bit of wheat Gluten (just because I have it, it makes the A.P. Flour more sticky!)
a dash of Baking
Powder. (Not Soda)
Blend in the food processor until coarsely ground
(Did I mention I'm deep frying some Jumbo Shrimp for lunch? 8) )
Sometimes it's OK to Double-Dip:Dredged Shrimp in flour to coat
dripped Shrimp in Egg/Sour Cream wash (sour Cream is better than milk, it's thicker and holds tight)
dipped in HPCB mix
redip in egg/sour cream
redip in HPCB mix
Deep-Fried until they float and then just a few seconds more (I don't like undercooked Shrimp)
Results were even better than I had expected, light, very crispy breading without the grittiness I usually associate with cornmeal breading, and the peppers and stuff in the HPCB add a really nice flavor! Give it a try sometime... I think you'll like it! I'm sure it would be just as good used on your fave fish.
(I mix a little Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce, Horseradish, habanero sauce and lemon juice for a dipping sauce)
My Hushpuppy Cornbread Recipe:
Make Jiffy Cornbread according to directions on box but add the following:
¼ cup sugar
1 extra egg
heaping Tablespoon Sour Cream
tsp. baking powder ( NOT SODA)
½ cup whole kernel corn
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped red & green peppers
if you like it hot & spicy add some chopped Jalapeno peppers too.
add a dab of shortening to a hot cast iron skillet, make sure it coats the sides of pan, now add cornbread batter and cook in oven at 15-25º lower than called for on box, and about 10 minutes longer
(cooking time/oven temps vary, if a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry it's done)
let cool slightly then flip it onto a plate, by add the batter to the hot skillet it won't stick and it gives the cornbread a crispy outer crust. it's like eating hushpuppies but without all the grease of deep frying!
Serve with fried fish & baked beans..maybe some fried Taters & Onions, lots of cold beer
