Southern Fried: More Than 150 Recipes for Crab Cakes, Fried Chicken, Hush Puppies, and More

by James Villas

Overview

The award-winning food writer shares more than 150 Southern recipes from hush puppies to crab cakes and 10 different ways to make fried chicken.
 
Fried food is the soul of Southern cooking, and in Southern Fried, James Villas delves into that rich history and culture with recipes from a variety of Southern culinary traditions including Creole, lowcountry, Appalachian, and more. Filled with gorgeous color photos, this volume is sure to tempt even health food fanatics with its crispy, crunchy delights. Different chapters feature eggs and cheese, seafood, breads, and Southern staples like grits, rice, and potatoes. 
 
Today’s deep fryers make frying easier and healthier than ever, and Villas’s expertly written recipes like Sassy Shrimp Puffs, Georgia Bacon and Eggs with Hominy, Country Fried Steak, Turkey Hash Cakes, and Rosemary Pork Chops will ensure perfect results. While this may not be diet food, Villas demonstrates how to fry safer and healthier without sacrificing flavor.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544188242
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	06/11/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	33 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

JAMES VILLAS’s work has appeared in Esquire, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Bon Appétit, and the New York Times. He won James Beard Awards for Journalism in 2003 and for Pig: King of the Southern Table.

Table of Contents

Preface: Sizzling, Crisp, and Delectable 8

Introduction: Frying Basics 10

Equipment 10

Ingredients 17

Batters, Breadings, and Seasoning 20

Frying Fats 21

Cooking Guidelines and Techniques 22

Frying Safeguards 23

The Health Issue 24

Appetizers 26

Eggs and Cheese 56

Meats 78

Poultry and Game 106

Seafood 132

Vegetables 160

Grits, Rice, and Potatoes 186

Breads 210

Desserts 226

Acknowledgments 245

Index 246

Editorial Reviews

With over a dozen cookbooks and two James Beard awards under his belt, Villas weighs in with another well-crafted work, this one focusing on the oily offerings to be found in his favorite part of the U.S. The simplicity of the title belies the diversity of the cuisine. Yes, nearly all of the 190 or so recipes involve some frying, but here frying can be as tricky as a turkey immersed in eight quarts of peanut oil, or as easy as a tablespoon of butter in a skillet to help along a cheese omelet. And the word “Southern” does not readily express the fact that several regional styles are addressed, including Creole, lowcountry, and Appalachian, and that the options include a mix of the traditional and the seriously traditional. So, there are oyster po’boys, flounder strips, and buttermilk hush puppies; but also Arkansas frog legs, brains, and eggs; and Carolina fried livermush (with ingredients that may surprise some non–Tar Heels). And, of course, there is chicken. Villas offers 10 entrees, free-ranging from classic Southern-fried to smothered with artichoke hearts. A beverage chapter would have been a welcomed addition but we are left thirsty. Sweets lovers fare better with a dessert section that includes bourbon peach turnovers and apricot-raisin crepes. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"With over a dozen cookbooks and two James Beard awards under his belt, Villas weighs in with another well-crafted work, this one focusing on the oily offerings to be found in his favorite part of the U.S"
— Publishers Weekly
 
"Since Americans on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line relish crisp fried foods, Villas’ book, with its clear instructions, will surely reach a large audience.
— Booklist
 
Southern Fried  "should be on the reading list of anyone intersted not only in Southern cooking, but in taking the pulse of American gastronomy overall."
—Julia Reed The Wall Street Journal
 
"Southern Fried is yet another indispensable book by James Villas, a food writer of the old school. He has the absolute highest standards of food and drink, an always engaging writing style, great wit, well-founded opinions, and a deep knowledge of whatever he’s writing about, be it the regional country dishes of France or the homey casseroles of his childhood in North Carolina. Last, but hardly least, he writes concise, well-tested recipes. You know by reading them that he’s cooked them over and over. In Southern Fried, as usual, he alternately has me absorbed in my reading chair or running to the kitchen to cook—sorry, fry. Crab and Corn Fritters Remoulade, anyone?"
—Arthur Schwartz, NPR radio personality and author of Naples at Table: Cooking in Campania

"Jim Villas is an aficionado as well as an expert of all things Southern. He makes home frying doable and delicious, with clear instructions and enthusiasm. For those with fear of frying, this is the book to buy."

—Nathalie Dupree, TV host and author

The veteran cookbook writer and North Carolina native mounts a defense of frying and applies it with gusto.
—The New York Times

 

From the Publisher