Chef John's Duck, Sausage, and Shrimp Gumbo

Chef John's sumptuous duck gumbo is made with pork, sausage, shrimp, and crawfish meat. Serve it with a scoop of cooked rice for a Louisiana treat.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 6 hr 20 mins
• Total Time: 6 hr 50 mins
• Calories: 485 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water, or as needed
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped green onion
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or more as needed
• 2 duck legs
• 1 pound andouille sausage, thickly sliced
• 1 cup diced peppers
• 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 smoked ham hock
• 1 cup pickled okra, rinsed and sliced
• 1 pound gulf shrimp
• 1 pound crawfish tail meat
• 0.5 teaspoon dried thyme
• 0.25 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook duck legs in the hot oil, skin-side down, until browned and fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Flip and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on other meat side. Transfer to a plate, leaving rendered fat in the skillet.

Step 2

Whisk 1 cup flour into the duck fat, adding enough oil to make a thick and smooth roux. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until it turns a rich, reddish-brown color, about 40 minutes. Whisk 2 more tablespoons flour into roux and cook for 2 minutes.

Step 3

Whisk in broth, 1 cup at a time, until incorporated. Remove from the heat.

Step 4

Cook sausage in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in onion, peppers, celery, and chopped green onions; cook and stir until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf, followed by diced tomatoes. Stir to combine.

Step 5

Place smoked ham hock into the center of the Dutch oven. Pour roux mixture over ham hock along with enough water to cover. Place duck legs into the mixture. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid set at an angle to let steam out. Simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, until duck and ham hock meat are tender, about 4 hours. Skim as much fat as possible off the top as it simmers.

Step 6

Transfer duck legs and ham hock to a bowl and let cool. Stir pickled okra into gumbo. Pick meat from duck legs and pork hock and return meat to the gumbo. Simmer gumbo for 45 more minutes.

Step 7

Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Stir in shrimp and crawfish tails; cook until both are bright pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon sliced green onion, taste and adjust seasoning, and serve.