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 15 mins
• Total Time: 6 hr 45 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 hot oil, skin-side down, until browned and fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side is browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate, leaving rendered fat in the skillet.

Step 2

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

Step 3

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

Step 5

Place 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 mixture. Bring to a simmer, then reduce 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 large bowl and let cool. Stir pickled okra into gumbo. Pick meat from duck legs and ham hock and return meat to gumbo. Simmer gumbo for 45 more minutes.

Step 7

Increase 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 onions. Taste and adjust for seasoning.