CRAB HUSH PUPPIES WITH LEMON-CILANTRO AIOLI

I love hush puppies and they are even better filled with crab meat. These can be appetizers or served as a main course. I served them with Tangy Texas Coleslaw (recipe is posted with Texas-Style Smoked Beef Brisket).

1 cup cornflour or all-purpose flour
¾ cup finely ground yellow cornmeal   

1 t baking powder
1 t Old Bay seasoning

½ t baking soda

½ t sea salt

½ t finely ground black pepper

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 T unsalted butter, melted

2 scallions, minced

½ to ¾ lb cooked crabmeat

Peanut oil or avocado oil, for frying

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Mix egg, buttermilk, melted butter, and scallions in a smaller bowl, then pour into the dry ingredients.

Mix together with a wooden spoon.

Gently stir in the crab, cover, and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes while heating the oil.

Heat about 3 inches of oil in a deep cast-iron skillet or fill a deep-fryer with oil and heat oil to about 365 degrees F.

Drop batter into hot oil with a small ice cream scoop, which works perfectly or with a generous teaspoon full.

Cook in batches until they are medium golden brown, usually about 3 to 4 minutes. 

Don't overcrowd the pot or they will stick together.

Place on a paper towel lined baking sheet and keep warm in a 225 degree F oven while cooking the rest of the hush puppies.

Serve with a lemon-cilantro aioli or tartar sauce.

Lemon-Cilantro Aioli
1 cup cilantro leaves
1 cup mayonnaise
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Place above ingredients in a blender or small food processor and blend until smooth.
Spoon into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 22 to 24 hush puppies