This might sound weird, but one of my favorite things in the whole wide world are the hush puppies from Long John Silvers.
I grew up with one at the end of my street, and while I have never been a huge fan of fish, the hush puppies were perfection.
Sadly, I don’t live there anymore and Long John Silvers isn’t there anymore either. Not to mention, for people like myself, with a gluten sensitivity, hush puppies aren’t traditionally a safe choice either.
One day while doing some historical recipe research (I’m a historical cookbook collector), I stumbled across a recipe for hushpuppies that I got from The Henry Ford, and it immediately sent me into a tailspin, with the worst craving for hush puppies. So I decided to make them, and make them gluten free.
When most people think of hush puppies, they think of cornmeal. But the key to a good hush puppy is the perfect balance of batter to cornmeal, at a ratio of 3:1 flour to cornmeal. This ratio allows for the distinctive corn flavor, with a soft crumb, that actually holds together when it hits the fryer.
Signature Hush Puppy Flavor
I also prefer my hush puppies on the oniony side. So there is a fair amount of onion powder in my hush puppies, and you will definitely taste it. If you don’t like an onion heavy hush puppy, you may want to back off on the onion powder just a little bit.
If you like heat, you can add chili pepper, cayenne, and I’ve even heard of people adding finely minced jalapeño. I personally cannot handle the heat, so I stay out of the fire.
I Dip, You Dip, We Dip!
To complete your hushpuppy experience, you definitely need to dip them! I know there’s purist who eat them without a dunk in sauce. But dip makes everything better if you ask me! Tarter sauce, ketsup, spicy mayo, ranch, and I’ve even heard honey are all perfectly delicious options.
When to Serve ‘Em
Hushpuppies go great with fish and other seafood at a fish fry, but don’t be afraid to make a batch for a snack. My kids and I make a lunch out of these fairly regularly because they are so good!
Are you a hush puppy fan? Have you tried this gluten free version? Let me know in the comments!
Gluten Free Hush Puppies
Equipment
- Fryer or Dutch Oven
- Box Grater
- Small cookie scoop
- Paper Towel
Ingredients
- 1½ c Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-1 Baking Flour
- ½ Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Yellow Corn Meal
- 1 t Gluten Free Baking Powder
- 1½ t Sea salt
- 2 t Sugar
- 2 t Onion Powder
- 1/4 t Black Pepper Ground
- 1/3 c Yellow Onion Grated
- 1 large Egg
- 1 c 2% Milk
- 32 oz Vegetable Oil for fryer
- 1/4 t Cayenne Pepper optional–if you like a little heat
- 1 T Onion Juice
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, sugar, onion powder, black pepper, and optional cayenne.
- Whisk dry ingredients to combine.
- Grate a medium onion on the box grater over a dish or bowl. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, add one cup milk, 1 egg, 1/3 c of the grated onion, and 1 T of the leaked onion juice. Whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Cover the batter with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
- While the batter is chilling, add the oil to your dutch oven or fryer, and preheat to 375°F.
- When batter has chilled and oil is hot, use a small cookie scoop to drop batter into the oil.
- Drop 8-10 scoops into the oil at a time. They will sink–this is okay! They will rise to the top of the oil as they begin to cook.
- Fry to a deep golden brown.
- Continue to fry in batches until the batter is gone.
- Serve warm with your favorite ketchup or tarter sauce.
