Fried Foods

To heck with all the healthy crowd! As my friend Randy says, "anything's good if it's fried!"

Click on the recipe name and you'll be taken to that recipe below:

Hushpuppies - found on the net.

Conch Fritters - found on the net.

Fried Green Tomatoes - old family recipe.

Hushpuppies

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1/2 cup grated onion (1 medium or 1/2 large)
5 tablespoons buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons self-rising flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 slices white bread, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped jalapeños

Mix all ingredients together just until they are wet. Refrigerate 30 minutes to 5 hours.

To cook, heat oil to about 350-375 degrees. Dip a small spoon in cold water, then get a spoonful of batter. Use the side of the bowl to "break-off" the spoonful of batter from the bowl. Use your finger to push the the hushpuppy into the hot oil (taking care not to dip your finger in the oil). Repeat this process with each hushpuppy, until you have 6 or 7 in the hot oil. Do not crowd the "puppies", as you do not want to lower the temperature of the hot oil.

If your oil is the correct temperature, the hush puppies should be golden on the outside and cooked on the inside. When golden on one side, if they automatically turn themselves over, you're cooking like a Pro. If they don't give them a little nudge to make them turn over.

If oil is too hot, or the raw hushpuppies are too large, they will get too browned on the outside and be gummy or runny on the inside. If oil is not hot enough, the puppies will be greasy. It helps to put 1 or 2 spoons full of batter in the hot oil to test it before making a whole batch. Adjust oil temperature as needed.

Conch Fritters

1 cup conch (approx 1/2 lb, usually about 3 pieces of conch) - I've used canned clams as well.
1 yellow bell pepper
1 medium onion (approx 1 cup)
1 garlic clove (approx 1 Tbsp)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons key lime juice, use regular limes if needed (2 approx key limes)
Lemons for garnish
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup flour (regular NOT self-rising)
2 tablespoons baking powder
milk (on hand just in case)
1 Tbsp parsley
1 Tbsp oregano
1 Tbsp habanero sauce (e.g. Melindas)
3/4 Tbsp salt (Not More! At least initially!)
1/2 Tbsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions
Pound conch with a rolling pin until it has flattened out (especially the thick and hard "foot"), then dice into small pieces. Or open a few cans of clams. Mix in lime juice and tomato paste with meat in small bowl.

In separate large bowl, dice pepper, onion and garlic. Mix in spices. Add in the meat mixture. Mix in flour, baking powder and eggs. The mixture should be fairly thick, if you take spoon of it and turn it upside down it should stick there for a few seconds. If too thin, add more flour. If too thick, add a little milk. You could also substitute a little beer for the milk if you like.

Get a couple of plates with napkins or paper towels handy, as well as a tablespoon, a teaspoon, a fork, and a metal device for scooping stuff out of hot oil. Heat a pot of about 2 inches of cooking oil on medium heat. Stir after a few minutes. Oil should be ready after 7 or 8 minutes, don't heat too fast or oil and fritters will burn. Scoop up 1 tablespoon of fritter mixture, scrape it into oil with teaspoon. Let cook for about 2 minutes, then roll it over with fork (they float) and let cook on other side for about 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Scoop out with scooper and let drain on napkin plate.

Let cool a bit and then taste. Carefully adjust seasonings in remainder of batter to taste. Repeat this procedure of making one fritter until you have the spices just right.

 
Serve with lemon or lime wedges, some more habanero sauce, and plenty of cold beverages.

I've also used this dipping sauce:
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon habanero sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Mix ahead of time in a bowl. Let sit until ready to eat.

Fried Green Tomatoes

2 1/ lb Green tomatoes, sliced vertically 1/4 inch thick
3 cloves Garlic, sliced
3/4 cup Flour
Salt
Pepper
4 tablespoon Olive oil

Shake tomato slices in a paper sack with salt, pepper and flour. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a black iron skillet. Add tomatoes and garlic. Cook without stirring for about 5 minutes, then, using a stiff spatula, scrape bottom of skillet and turn tomatoes. Continue to cook over medium to high heat, scraping bottom of skillet occasionally to prevent burning. You want the tomatoes which come in direct contact with the skillet to get dark. You should expect some sticking; just scrape hard. Try to resist adding more oil. When most of the tomatoes have turned olive green or dark brown, about 20 minutes, lower heat to low. Continue to cook, until they are all either brown or olive green.

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