# The natural range of Hush Puppies and grits on menus **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [January 25, 2024, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605 "2024-01-25T01:07:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/101 "2024-01-29T18:44:12Z")
Before Red Lobster revamped themselves, they had pretty good hush puppies (as well as popcorn shrimp - both have vanished from their menu in the last several years). I make hush puppies & cornbread all the time. Yes, they’re both cornmeal based, but slightly different grind, and perhaps differing levels of other dry products (wheat flour, baking powder, etc.) Hush puppies definitely should have pieces of onion in them. No dipping sauce required. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/102 "2024-01-29T18:50:52Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Plus, in order to cook the breading, the scallops will be overdone (beyond medium rare). I’ll grant you that there’s little better than a perfectly seared dry pack scallop served simply. But at the shrimp shacks around here, I love getting the breaded deep fried scallops. The scallops are cheaper than the shrimp ($18.50 vs $20 per pound), so I’m assuming they are just some wetpack scallops that are sold at about half the price of dry pack. They’re too big to be bay scallops, I’m pretty sure, but I suppose I could ask. At any rate, wetpack _SUCKKK_ when seared (they just will not develop a good crust–I’ve tried every trick), but they still are heavenly deep fried. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/103 "2024-01-29T18:56:34Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > The scallops are cheaper than the shrimp ($18.50 vs $20 per pound), so I’m assuming they are just some wetpack scallops that are sold at about half the price of dry pack. They’re too big to be bay scallops, I’m pretty sure, but I suppose I could ask. At any rate, wetpack _SUCKKK_ when seared (they just will not develop a good crust–I’ve tried every trick), but they still are heavenly deep fried. Cool–I’d never heard of this difference! I’ve never gotten a good sear on a scallop, and after trying a few times I gave up. Dunno if I’m just not good at it, or if I’ve been using wet-pack scallops. The only thing I really crave scallops for is in a seafood pasta, where they can be small and unseared; but the occasional seared scallop is a thing of rare beauty. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/104 "2024-01-29T19:13:35Z")
If you get them frozen, you should see the ingredients. If it’s just scallops, you’re good. If it has sodium triphophate, that’s wet pack. (It’ll also say something like “to preserve moisture.”) Pricing wise, if it’s in the $10-$20/lb range, it’s almost certainly wet pack. $20 and up is where dry pack tends to start around here, although I checked my local fish monger and they’ve got $50/lb wild caught dry pack scallops. Though I see my local Jewel (Albertson’s) apparently has frozen scallops without STP for $19.99/lb, which seems low to me, so I’ll have to give them a whirl and see how they are. It’s pretty obvious when you fry them. Wet packs just ooze liquid as they cook, which dry packs don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/105 "2024-01-29T19:14:47Z")
I’ve only ever bought scallops from the seafood market at the beach, and they’re sold in styrofoam cups–usually $20 to $30 a pound, IIRC. I’ll have to take a look or ask next time. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/106 "2024-01-29T19:24:51Z")
I’d venture to guess those should probably not be treated with STP, but who knows. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/107 "2024-01-30T02:15:31Z")
You can also parboil scallops to get them to leach some of their liquid, dry them and then sear them in a stinkin’ hot pan, but you have to do it juuuuust right to avoid ending up with erasers. I’m told Aldi sometimes has dry pack, but they’re sea scallops which I don’t like much so I haven’t tried them. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/108 "2024-01-30T02:22:48Z")
Parboil. Huh. I’ve never heard that before. I’ve never had an issue with just searing dry packs (after patting them off with a towel) on a wicked hot stainless pan and a bit of oil. (Should start to smoke, drop heat to medium after adding scallops.) 2 minutes-ish a side, finish with butter in the pan, done. ETA: Oh, I’m specifically talking about sea scallops. I don’t know if they react different to the cooking process – I wouldn’t really think so – but just to be clear. I always think of them as the default “scallop” for searing. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a seared bay scallop – those I tend to find more in pasta, soup/chowder type things, or even stir fry, where they’re not seared separately (or at least not usually.) ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/109 "2024-01-30T02:35:46Z")
Note that I’m not talking about the dry pack ones. Those you should be able to sear straight up. If you can’t get those, then parboiling can get them to release some of their liquid prior to searing. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/110 "2024-01-30T02:37:48Z")
AH! _smack my head_. Makes sense now. I vaguely remember Alton Brown having some wet pack tips for searing. I wonder if parboiling was one of them. I do recall trying his tips out, but it didn’t produce anywhere near a result a dry pack would. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/111 "2024-01-30T17:05:16Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > Don’t people have fish fries during Lent? Yes, but it’s predominantly a thing in areas of the country, like Wisconsin, where Catholicism (and abstinence from meat during Lent) was traditionally strong. Down in grits and hush puppies land, the predominant Christian denominations are Protestant, and most of those don’t follow practices like Lenten abstinence. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/112 "2024-01-30T18:25:02Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Parboil. Huh. I’ve never heard that before. I’ve never had an issue with just searing dry packs (after patting them off with a towel) on a wicked hot stainless pan and a bit of oil. (Should start to smoke, drop heat to medium after adding scallops.) 2 minutes-ish a side, finish with butter in the pan, done. FINISH with butter. Goddammit. Okay, maybe I’ll try again. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/113 "2024-01-30T18:32:47Z")
When I was considering moving down to NC the friend who had introduced me to Southern food (who was also part of the reason I was moving) and we what I would put on my grits. There was a strong implication that our relationship depended on my answer. Fortunately, I answered correctly :“Butter, cheese, bacon.” She likes to add a fried egg to hers also. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/114 "2024-01-30T18:39:45Z")
I don’t know if that’s the only way, but I do it that way as my butter will otherwise burn. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/115 "2024-01-30T18:41:48Z")
Yeah–thinking back on it, I’ve tried to cook scallops the way I pan-cook shrimp, i.e., in butter over low heat. Works great for small shrimp–you get them just barely cooked, still tender, suffused with buttery goodness–but it’s not been great for scallops. And turning up the heat just led to burnt butter. In hindsight of _course_ my method wouldn’t work, but somehow I never even thought about it. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/116 "2024-01-30T18:43:18Z")
Now that I am hungry to try grits again after decades of abstinence, I cannot find a restaurant in my area that has them on the online menu. Two places serve shrimp and grits. It’s odd because their reviews often mention grits so perhaps they got dropped during Covid. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/117 "2024-01-30T19:33:45Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Putting sugar on grits is like putting sugar on rice. Not done where I live. I’ve probably told this story before, but my dad, who is from the Midwest, was sent to Biloxi, Mississippi for basic training after he joined the Air Force. Having breakfast in the mess hall one day, he put some grits in a bowl, but having never had grits before he mistook them for cream of wheat, since that’s what he was familiar with. So he put milk and sugar on them, since that’s how he eats cream of wheat. That got a lot of strange looks from the Southerners who were there, but he says they taste pretty good that way. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/118 "2024-01-30T19:49:29Z")
Well, Flo( from _Alice_ TV show) said “Kiss my grits” in Arizona. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/119 "2024-03-25T06:08:07Z")
Turns out there is a book on grits that researches the question: [https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/grits-belt-unmarked-undeniable-demarcation-american-culinary-cultures](https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/grits-belt-unmarked-undeniable-demarcation-american-culinary-cultures) ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605/120 "2024-03-25T06:27:06Z")
Allegedly our board expert on shrimp and grits is @swampbear and someone needs to tell Altoona that’s an open-face baked sandwich and not pizza …and they should have stuck to the original Velveeta cause it melts better [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-natural-range-of-hush-puppies-and-grits-on-menus/996605.md?page=7)