Coconut Shrimp Hushpuppies with Orange Rum Sauce

Every New Years Eve my mother makes coconut shrimp with orange rum sauce and they are delicious. This past year for my birthday I had my first hushpuppy and I loved it. When I got to my parents house this holiday season and my mother and I started talking about what we would make this year for New Years Eve I told her about my idea on mixing hushpuppies with the coconut shrimp. Now my mom and I love Paula Deen so of course I got the hushpuppy recipe from her site and added the shrimp and coconut to it. These are super simple to make as long as you have a fryer or you don't mind dealing with all that oil. If you are making them in a pot make sure that you have enough oil to allow to hush puppies to float. This is how you know they are done. These did come out a little more dense than your normal hushpuppy but they were still good.

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal
• 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 c. coconut flakes
• 1/2 lb shrimp
  
• 1 cup fat free buttermilk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

1. Using a deep pot, preheat oil for frying to 350 degrees F.
2. Grind the shrimp in a food processor until there are no large chunks of shrimp.
   
3. Using a mixing bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, coconut flakes, baking soda, and salt.
   
4. In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and egg. Pour the buttermilk mixture and shrimp into the dry ingredients and mix until blended.
   
5. Drop the batter, 1 teaspoon at a time, into the oil.
   
6. Dip the spoon in a glass of water after each hushpuppy is dropped in the oil. Fry until golden brown, turning the hushpuppies during the cooking process.

Orange Rum Sauce

• 1/2 c. orange marmalade
• 1 to 2 Tbsp dark rum

1. heat the marmalade in a small saucepan over low heat.
   
2. Thin with rum as desired.