The deep-fried cornmeal balls often served with fried fish in the Southern United States are called hushpuppies. They are small, savory rounds made from a thick cornmeal-based batter and fried until crisp and golden.
Typical recipes combine cornmeal with flour, eggs, salt, baking soda, and milk or buttermilk. Onion, scallions, garlic, or peppers may be added. Hushpuppies are commonly fried in the same oil used for seafood and served alongside fried fish, shrimp, or other Southern dishes.
Corn-based fried breads have deep roots in Indigenous and African American Southern cooking. The name “hushpuppy” is often linked to stories about feeding fried batter to dogs to quiet them, but the exact origin is unverified. A related Southern food called red-horse bread also resembles early hushpuppies.
They are not the same as tater tots, onion rings, or beignets: those foods use different main ingredients and culinary traditions.