BUBBA GUMP SHRIMP CO. SEAFOOD HUSH PUPS

This restaurant spin-off from the Tom Hanks movie Forrest Gump, which opened its first location in Monterey, California, in 1996, has now grown to over 40 restaurants around the world. As you may guess, many of the dishes feature shrimp that has been boiled, broiled, poached, breaded, fried, or stuffed, along with many other seafood—and a nice selection of non-seafood—menu items. The top appetizer pick at the restaurant chain is its spin on hush puppies that are filled with shrimp and a white fish called hoki. Hoki is not an easy fish to find in stores, but you can substitute with true cod, which is very similar in taste and texture. In fact, McDonald’s uses hoki and cod interchangeably in its Fillet-O-Fish sandwich. You’ll need only a small 4-ounce fillet along with 4 large shrimp— each getting quickly poached in a fish sauce broth for great savory flavor—to make a couple dozen hush puppies. The delicious remoulade sauce is also conveniently hacked here for your dipping pleasure.

REMOULADE SAUCE
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons finely minced cilantro
2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon finely minced red bell pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon paprika
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of salt

HUSH PUPPIES
4 cups water
⅓ cup fish sauce
1 4-ounce cod fillet
4 ounces (4 large) uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
5 ounces (1 cup) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon white pepper
Pinch of ground cayenne pepper
½ cup frozen yellow corn (not sweet)
¼ cup thinly bias-sliced green onion
2 large eggs
¾ cup milk
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 cups vegetable oil

Cooking method

1-Make the remoulade sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and chill until needed.

2-Combine the water and fish sauce in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the liquid is just simmering, then add the fish fillet. Poach the fish for 5 minutes or until done, then remove it from the liquid to a plate. Turn off the heat. Add the shrimp to the pan and let it sit in there for 2 minutes, then take the shrimp out of the liquid and cool it on a plate with the fish. When cool, chop the fish fillet and shrimp into pieces about the size of shelled peanuts.

3-Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, and cayenne in a large bowl. Add the fish, shrimp, corn, and green onion and mix well. Beat 1 egg, combine it with ¼ cup of milk, then add it to the flour mixture along with the butter to form a stiff batter. Chill the batter for 30 minutes uncovered in your refrigerator.

4-While the batter is chilling, heat up the oil in a medium saucepan to 325 degrees F. Pour the bread crumbs into a medium bowl. Beat the remaining egg and mix it with the remaining ½ cup of milk in another medium bowl.

5-When the batter has rested, form it into balls that are about the size of walnuts. Dip each ball into the egg/milk mixture, then roll it in the bread crumbs and set the balls aside on a plate or sheet pan until they are all breaded.

6-Fry the hush puppies in the hot oil, several at a time, for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with remoulade sauce on the side for dipping.