Snack time! How to make Jason Santos’ Hush Puppies from Hell’s Kitchen

A small but powerful snack! Famous chef Jason Santos has the perfect recipe to step up your appetizer game — its flavorful jalapeño, cheddar, and bacon hush puppies.

“I love them because they’re so easy to make,” said de The kitchen of hell star, 46, exclusively shares his dish – which is featured in his new cookbook Simple fantasy – in the latest issue of Us weekly. “They can be used as a pass canape, plated appetizer or even a side dish.”

A hush puppy is a savory bite-sized delight that usually consists of deep-fried cornmeal batter. As a staple of Southern cuisine, they are usually served as a side dish that can be paired with seafood and other fried treats. What makes the sous chef recipe so special is its versatility.

“Use my recipe as a base and flavor them however you like!” explains the Boston-based restaurateur Us.

Santos was the runner-up in the seventh season of Gordon Ramsaycooking competition series. He later returned to the reality show as a sous chef for seasons 19, 20, and 21. He is best known for his Buttermilk & Bourbon restaurants, which serve New Orleans-inspired dishes.

Keep reading for his hush puppy recipe:

Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

4 tsp baking powder

¾ cup of sugar

2 tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

¼ cup onion powder

1 tbsp cajun seasoning

1 cup bacon

1½ cups of shredded yellow cheddar

3 cups of milk

3 eggs

¼ cup of apple cider vinegar

¾ cup canned pickled jalapeños diced

Canola oil, for frying

Salt and pepper mix, to taste

Spicy creole ranch dressing or red remoulade sauce, to serve

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt, baking soda, onion powder, and Cajun seasoning; this is the dry mixture.
2. In a small bowl, combine bacon, cheddar, milk, eggs, vinegar, and jalapeños; this is the wet mix. The vinegar will curdle the milk a bit, which is fine.
3. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry mixture and stir until just combined. Heat canola oil in a pan to about 350 degrees. With a small shovel, scoop a shovel of the batter into the oil and fry until golden brown and done. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with a spicy creole ranch dressing or red remoulade.