Pimento Cheese Hush Puppies

Directions

Preparation

1. For the hush puppy base, combine scallions, flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and 2 tsp. kosher salt in a large bowl. Combine honey, buttermilk, and egg in a small bowl, then stir into dry mix until fully incorporated.
2. For the pimento cheese, combine the garlic, Duke’s Mayonnaise, pickle juice, mustard, hot sauce, salt, and pepper in a large bowl to make a paste. Fold in cheese and pimento until fully incorporated.
3. For the comeback sauce, puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
4. For the hush puppy assembly and preparation, pour 3 inches of canola oil into a deep skillet (or enough to cover the hush puppies as they fry).
5. Heat to 350°F.
6. In a large bowl, mix pimento cheese into hush puppy base using a whisk. The mixture should be scoopable and hold its shape. If the batter is too thick, stir in a little buttermilk. If it’s too thin, add cornmeal to thicken.
7. Drop mixture by tablespoons into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp on the outside, 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Serve warm with comeback sauce.