Grandmother’s Southern Squash Puppies

Note: Approximately 5 medium yellow squash will yield about 2 cups of cooked squash.

Add the diced squash to a medium microwave safe dish. Add the water to the squash. Microwave squash on high power for 5 minutes. Prick squash with a fork to check tenderness. If squash is not very tender, continue to microwave squash in 2-minute increments until squash is tender. Then transfer squash to a colander. Press squash to squeeze out excess juice. Let squash sit for about 2 minutes then press any remaining liquid from the squash.

In a large mixing bowl, add the drained and pressed squash along with the beaten egg, buttermilk, corn meal, flour, diced onion, and seasoned salt. Mix inredients with a large spoon to blend well.

In a pan suitable for frying, add the oil. Preheat oil to approximately 400ºF. Use a 1 oz. cookie dough scoop to scoop the batter and carefully drop it into the hot oil. Continue filling the pan, leaving about an inch of space between each squash puppy. An 8″ pan will hold approximately 7-8 puppies at a time. Fry squash puppies about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Puppies will float to the top of the oil and most will flip over on their own during frying, allowing even browning. Use tongs to flip any unturned puppies. When squash puppies are golden brown, use tongs to remove them from hot oil and let them drain on paper towels. Continue cooking the rest of the batter and serve squash puppies while they are still hot.

The kids prefer to dip these in ketchup. However, lemon aoli or cocktail sauce make nice complements to this dish.