I never could stand onions in hushpuppies. I'm not a fan of onions in the first place.
I have had them with actual corn, instead of onions in them. They were really good that way. I think that may have been on the Gulf Coast somewhere.
BTW, I live in Raleigh. Smithfield's BBQ has the "cat turd" h-ps. I don't know anywhere around here that serves the round kind.
A former post spoke of the grease making all the difference. I concur. I used to work at a fish camp (southern-speak for a seafood restaurant, where most things are only available fried), and you could always tell when they changed the grease in the deep fryer. Nothing was anywhere as good as with the old grease.
Best hushpuppies I've ever had were at the Sanitary Fish Market and Restaurant in Morehead City, NC. They (along with all the other good restaurants in that area) make the long style hushpuppies. No onions, and they go great with fried oysters.
So, YOU're the ONE. It's because of you that people make hushpuppies without onions! Southern cooks just don't want to offend *anyone.*
But glad you agree with me on the grease making all the difference. It needs to be "broken in." That's why I don't like to fry stuff at home - besides the smell in the house, it's never as good as at a place with used grease!
Those "hushpuppies" you had with corn in them were corn fritters. Love them, but they're not hushpuppies. They are good with fried oysters, but so are hushpuppies.