Hushpuppy Croutons

1. Heat oven to 200 degrees.
2. In a 4-quart Dutch oven, heat oil to 350 degrees.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the cornmeal, salt and sugar. In a smaller bowl, whisk the onion into the buttermilk and add the club soda.
4. Stir the wet into the dry and get ready to fry your puppies. The batter should be spoonable, not drippy, but not pasty either. It’s important to cook these within a half hour of mixing them. Otherwise, the club soda will have lost all its fizz, and the hushpuppies will be more dense than they should be.
5. In three batches, drop ½ teaspoon-sized rounds of batter into the hot oil. Carefully stir them around after about 15 seconds, and cook a full 1 ½ to 2 minutes. 
6. Once they’re a deep golden brown on the outside, use a slotted spoon to lift them out of the oil, and drain them on a paper towel. Follow up with the next batch. Hold the hushpuppies in a warm oven till you’re ready to serve.

Serve these hushpuppies as a crunchy topping on Charred Spring Vegetables with Creamy Scallion Dressing.