9 Worst Rated Southern American Deep-fried Dishes

A corn dog consists of processed meat on a stick that is dipped in corn meal batter and deep-fried. It is a wildly popular snack (and hot dog variation) throughout the United States of America. Corn dogs are typically found at county fairs, carnivals, sports arenas, food courts in malls, and roadside eateries. This flavorful snack was first popularized by Neil Fletcher at the Texas State Fair in 1942, although the vendors at the Minnesota State Fair claim that they invented it in 1941 when it was known as a Pronto Pup. Today, corn dogs are often eaten with yellow mustard, pickles, sauerkraut, or mayonnaise, and there are numerous varieties of the snack throughout the world, namely in Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Convenient, simple, and hard to resist, corn dogs even has its own day, known as the National Corndog Day, occuring on the first Saturday of March Madness (basketball championship) every year.Expand

Calabash-style seafood is a traditional buffet-style dish originating from Calabash in North Carolina. This feast is typically prepared in Calabash seafood restaurants. The seafood such as fish, crab, shrimp, oysters, mussels, and clams is lightly breaded, fried until golden, then served buffet-style with hushpuppies and honey butter as a traditional accompaniment. Instead of flour, cooks often use cornmeal for the seafood's light coating.Expand

Thin fried catfish is a traditional dish originating from New Orleans. The dish consists of catfish fillets that are sliced very thinly, breaded, then fried until golden brown. There should be a good ratio of fish to flour. Ingredients such as salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, or cayenne can be added to the dry seasoning mix in order to elevate the flavors. Lemon zest is also sometimes added to the mix. The fillets are dipped in eggwash and the dry seasoning mix, then deep-fried until they become golden. Thin fried catfish is typically served with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, or lemon wedges on the side.Expand

Fried green tomatoes are a staple of Southern United States. The dish is made with firm, unripe, and tangy green tomatoes that are sliced, dipped in seasoned cornmeal, then deep-fried. Ideally, the tomatoes should have a crunchy crust and a succulent interior after the deep-frying. Fried green tomatoes are typically served as an appetizer or a side dish, and sometimes even as a mid-afternoon snack. They can also be used as an ingredient for sandwiches, such as the fried green tomato po'boy. The dish gained popularity in the 1980s with Fannie Flagg's novel called Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (which was later also made into a movie).Expand

Cajun popcorn is a traditional dish originating from Louisiana. The dish consists of cooked crawfish tails that are coated in a thin batter, seasoned with hot sauce, then deep-fried until crisp. The batter is usually made with a combination of eggs, milk, flour, cornmeal, and cayenne pepper. Once prepared, Cajun popcorn is typically served with dipping sauces such as mustard mayonnaise or Creole rémoulade. The dish was invented in the early 1980s when processed and frozen crawfish tails became widely available throughout the country.Expand

Chicken fried bacon is a tasty appetizer or breakfast consisting of bacon strips that are battered and deep-fried in hot oil, just like chicken fried steak, hence the unusual name of this dish. It was invented in the early 1990s in Texas by Frank Sodolak, who served it in Sodolak’s Original Country Inn in Snook. Traditionally, chicken fried bacon is served with sausage gravy or cream gravy on the side for dipping. When prepared correctly, the bacon should be perfectly crisp without being too crumbly.Expand

A staple of Southern fried food in the United States, hushpuppies are an extremely popular snack consisting of deep-fried cornmeal batter. The batter is sometimes enriched by the addition of onions, garlic, corn, and peppers. Regarding the origins of the dish, there are as many theories about it as there are recipes for the hushpuppies. One of the most popular theories states that hunters and fishermen would feed the fried cornmeal to their dogs and command them to "hush, puppies", so the dogs would not disturb their prey. Another, similar theory states that Confederate soldiers would also feed it to their dogs so that the enemy soldiers wouldn't hear the dogs' barking. Hushpuppies are best when served steaming hot with tartar sauce or a smoked trout dip, while some claim that a glass of crisp sparkling wine proves to be the best accompaniment.Expand

Popcorn chicken is a dish consisting of tiny, bite-sized pieces of chicken that have been breaded or battered and deep-fried. The name of the dish refers to the small pieces of chicken that are reminiscent of popcorn after they have been fried. The dish has been popular in the American South for centuries, since the small chicken pieces were easy to prepare and pack into lunchboxes. It is believed that the dish originated with slaves who often had to use every single bit of meat, so smaller pieces of chicken were usually fried together, and chicken bite dishes were born. In the early 1990s, a fast-food chain restaurant called KFC introduced popcorn chicken to their menus, and the dish remained a trademarked staple of KFC until today.Expand

Fried catfish or southern fried catfish is a traditional fish specialty from the American South. Catfish fillets are first soaked in buttermilk and then rolled in cornmeal mixture before they are deep-fried in hot oil. The cornmeal crust gives the fish a unique flavor and nice crispiness on the outside while remaining tender and moist on the inside. Fried catfish is traditionally served alongside cornmeal dumplings, known as hush puppies, tartar sauce, coleslaw, and (sometimes) fried pickles. This beloved Southern fish dish is available in numerous fish fry eateries in the South.Expand