Quick Jalapeño Hush Puppies

Late February into March 2032. Empty nest is starting to feel less like an absence and more like a room that's been rearranged. We always knew this was coming. Thirteen years from twins born to twins gone — that's how fast it goes. You coach forty boys a season for sixteen years and still you somehow can't believe time moved at that speed when it was your own children doing it.

Lisa and I have been having dinner together every night this week without anybody else at the table. Sounds like nothing but it's been years since we consistently did that — somebody always had practice, somebody always had a game, somebody was always driving somewhere. Now it's just us. We've been talking more. About things that aren't schedules. About the house, about her students, about what we want the next chapter to look like. She said something last week that's stayed with me: she said she feels like she's meeting me again, the way she met me when we were twenty-three, before we knew everything we'd have to carry.

I've been cooking more elaborate meals on weeknights. Monday I made carnitas low and slow all afternoon and served them with hand-pressed tortillas I'd been practicing on weekends. Tuesday Lisa made the salad, which in our house has always been her contribution and her domain, and I made the rest. We ate at nine o'clock because there was no one to rush home for and I'd let the pork go an hour longer than planned. We didn't care. We opened a bottle of sparkling water — I still love the ritual of opening something, it doesn't have to be wine — and we ate carnitas at nine in the evening like two people who've earned something.

Marco called to say he's doing well. Elena called to say Albuquerque is cold. Sofia texted a photo of her on the competition floor in Palo Alto. Diego came by Saturday with Keisha to pick up a casserole dish Lisa had set aside for them. I watched them drive away and thought: every one of my children is out there, alive, pursuing something real. Ruben never got this far. I'd carry his absence for a thousand years if it meant they stayed safe.

After those carnitas on Monday — the ones I let go an extra hour because there was nobody to rush home for — I realized the tortillas were great but I wanted something with a little crunch on the side, something warm from the oil that you eat with your fingers while the pork rests. These jalapeño hush puppies have become my answer. They come together fast, they’ve got just enough heat to wake you up, and Lisa loves dipping them in the leftover salsa from whatever else I’ve got going. For two people eating at nine o’clock on a Tuesday, they’re exactly right.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 6 (about 24 hush puppies)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
Vegetable or canola oil, for frying

Instructions

Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
Combine wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir together the buttermilk and beaten egg. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined — do not overmix.
Fold in the jalapeños and onion. Gently fold the diced jalapeños and onion into the batter until evenly distributed.
Heat the oil. Fill a heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet with about 3 inches of oil and heat to 350°F. Use a thermometer to maintain consistent temperature.
Fry the hush puppies. Using a small cookie scoop or two spoons, drop rounded tablespoons of batter into the hot oil, working in batches of 5–6 to avoid crowding. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown on all sides.
Drain and serve. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate and season with a light sprinkle of salt while still hot. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Quick Jalapeño Hush Puppies — A Side Dish for the Nights We’ve Earned