Pike and Puppies

The fish were always biting when we were up at our cabin on the lake in Canada. It was nothing for us to catch a dozen or more a day. The bulk of our catch was Northern Pike, wicked little teeth on those suckers let me tell you. My father would clean them by scaling them removing the head and insides and leaving the body and tail in tact. My mother would take all the fish and place them in a big tupperware container pouring an entire bottle of Italian salad dressing on them. My mother would then place the lid on the tupperware and stick the fish in the refrigerator to marinate for a few hours. When dinner time started to roll around my father would fire up the grill to get it nice and hot to cook and char the fish. The Italian dressing not only flavors the fish beautifully but all the little bits of seasoning in the dressing create a wonderful little crust on the skin. While my father was tending to the fish my mother would be in the kitchen preparing one of the many side dishes that would accompany our meal including our absolute must have favorite; Jalapeno hush puppies. They were always crisp on the outside and tender in the middle and that little kick from the jalapeno peppers always added a nice contrast and balance to the sweetness of the fish.

Jalapeno Hush Puppies

1 c. flour

1 c. cornmeal

1 lg. onion, chopped

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 (17 oz.) can cream corn

2 or 3 chopped jalapenos

Mix as you would for cornbread; if too thick add a little water. Drop into hot deep fat. Dip spoon into hot fat and batter will slide right off. This batter keeps well in refrigerator for several days.

If you would like a more uniform ball shape use melon baller or small ice cream scoop to form the batter.

Photo/brooksba/flickr