While in New Orleans, celebrating my friend’s and my milestone birthday, we dined at Brennan’s, an upscale restaurant in the French Quarter. They were named Best Restaurant 2016 in New Orleans Magazine. Their recipes and service are nothing less than amazing. Brennan’s shares their Seafood and Gumbo recipe, which I have converted to a smaller batch of gluten free seafood gumbo. Enjoy!
I also increased the amount of rice you should cook, just because you may have hearty eaters.
When calling Brennan’s to make reservations, ask for Randy McBride. He was an amazing waiter!
Gluten Free Seafood Gumbo - Brennan's Copycat
Adapted from Brennan's award-winning restaurant in New Orleans, this gluten free seafood gumbo deserves an award as well.
Ingredients
For the Seafood Stock:
- 1-1/4 pounds crab bodies (or shrimp shells)
- 1/4 yellow onion peeled
- 1/4 head garlic (or 4 large cloves)
- 1 small bay leaf
- 3/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 3 cups cold water
For the Rice:
- 1 cup 8-ounces basmati rice (or jasmine rice)
- 3 cups 12-ounces water
For the Gumbo:
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup brown rice flour
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 cup green bell pepper
- 1/4 cup minced garlic
- 1/4 pound okra thinly sliced
- 1 pound sliced gluten-free Andouille sausage ( Aidells), 1/4-inch thick slices
- 1/4 teaspoon gluten-free filé powder ( Spice Jungle) (or ground sassafrass & thyme)
- 1 cup gluten free canned diced tomatoes (or fresh)
- 3 quarts gluten-free crab or shrimp stock see recipe below
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 small dash gluten-free creole spice ( Konriko) (optional)
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1/2 pound fresh jumbo lump crabmeat
- 10 freshly shucked oysters
- 1/2 pound 5-count shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free hot sauce
Instructions
To Make the Seafood Stock:
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Place the crab bodies/shrimp shells, onion, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, and 3 cups cold water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, skimming off the protein solids that float to the top.
To Make the Gumbo:
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Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and slowly whisk in the brown rice flour.
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Constantly whisk until the flour browns, but does not burn.
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Add the Andouille sausage, onions, celery, red peppers, green peppers, garlic, okra, cooking over medium heat. Stir until the vegetables cook through about 5 minutes or until slightly tender.
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Add tomatoes, creole spice, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, salt, and crab stock and bring to a simmer.
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Simmer on low for 1 hour skimming away any oil or impurities that come to the surface.
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Make the rice according to the package instructions.
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Remove the sprig of thyme and discard it. Bring the mixture back to a simmer. Add the crabmeat, shrimp, oysters, and hot sauce. Simmer for 2-1/2 minutes.
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Serve in a bowl topped with a scoop of cooked basmati rice and chopped green herbs or green onions (scallions) for garnish. You can also garnish with shrimp, if desired.
Tips
Shrimp tend to be more tender/less dry if you poach them in the shell. It takes a little more time to devein them while in the shell, but it is totally worth it!
If desired, you can fold in a bunch of sauteed finely chopped green onion to the rice before placing a scoop on top of the gumbo. Saute in2 teaspoons of neutral-flavored oil.