Shrimp Stuffed Hushpuppies

Ingredients

Hushpuppies

• 1½ cups cornmeal (not cornbread mix)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Cajun or Creole seasoning
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup Blue Plate Mayonnaise
• ¼ cup green onions, chopped
• ¼ cup red bell peppers, finely minced
• 12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails intact
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Spicy Mustard Sauce

• 1 cup Blue Plate Mayonnaise
• ¼ cup chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon Louisiana-style hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon Creole mustard
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Combine cornmeal, flour, Cajun seasoning, and baking powder in a bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, mayonnaise, green onions and bell peppers. Combine the milk mixture with the dry ingredients and mix well.
2. Scoop about 3 tablespoons of the mixture in a ball, just about the size of a golf ball. Make an indentation in the dough with your finger and place the shrimp in the center of each ball, leaving the tail exposed.
3. In a Dutch oven, add the vegetable oil to about 2 to 3 inches deep and heat the oil to 325℉. Preheat the oven to 250℉. Fit a baking sheet with a wire rack.
4. Carefully drop the hush puppies in hot oil in batches of about 3. Do not overcrowd the pot. Cook, while gently turning, until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. The internal temperature of the shrimp should be 145℉.
5. Transfer the hushpuppies to the baking sheet fitted with the rack. Repeat with the remaining batter. Keep the cooked hushpuppies warm in the oven.
6. Make the sauce: Combine the mayonnaise, chili sauce, hot sauce, Worcestershire, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, salt and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl and whisk well.
7. Serve the hushpuppies with the sauce on the side, for dipping.