CRAB HUSH PUPPIES WITH TARTAR SAUCE

Crab Hush Puppies with Tartar Sauce image

Provided by Andrea Albin

Yield Makes about 40 hors d'oeuvres

Number Of Ingredients 20

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For tartar sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet pickles
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped drained capers
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
For hush puppies:
About 6 cups vegetable oil for frying
1 garlic clove
2 large eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoon well-shaken buttermilk (not powdered)
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 cup cornmeal (preferably stone-ground)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup jumbo lump crabmeat (about 7 ounces), picked over
Equipment: a deep-fat thermometer

Steps:

Make tartar sauce:
Stir together all ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
Make hush puppies:
Preheat oven to 200°F.
Heat 2 inches oil to 375°F in a wide 5-quart heavy pot over medium heat. While oil heats, mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then whisk together with eggs, buttermilk, and scallions in a bowl.
Whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl, then stir in buttermilk mixture until just combined. Stir in crabmeat.
Working in batches of 10, carefully drop tablespoons of batter into oil and fry, turning occasionally, until golden-brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Return oil to 375°F between batches.
Serve hush puppies with tartar sauce.
What to drink:
Schloss Saarstein 1st Growth Riesling Kabinett '08