The procedure for this duck gumbo with sausage and shrimp is pretty straightforward, although you're talking about a full day's project. This can be made with hundreds of different combinations of smoked meats, game, poultry, and seafood — and in my opinion, the more, the merrier. Serve in a large soup bowl with a scoop of cooked white rice, a sprinkle of green onions, and a pinch of cayenne.
Ingredients
- vegetable oil: 1 Tbsp (or more if needed)
- duck legs: 2 piece
- all-purpose flour: 1 cup
- all-purpose flour: 2 Tbsp
- chicken broth: 6 cups
- andouille sausage, thickly: 1 pound (sliced)
- onion: 1 piece (chopped)
- serrano and pasilla peppers: 1 cup (diced)
- celery: 1 cup (chopped)
- green onions: 4 piece (chopped, optional)
- ground black pepper: 1 tsp
- thyme: 0.5 tsp (dried)
- cayenne pepper: 0.25 tsp (to taste)
- bay leaf: 1 piece
- fresh tomatoes: 1 cup (diced)
- smoked ham hock: 1 piece
- water: 2 cups (or as needed)
- pickled okra, rinsed and: 1 cup (sliced)
- Gulf shrimp: 1 pound
- crawfish tail meat: 1 pound
- green onions: 1 Tbsp (thinly sliced, optional)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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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.
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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.
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Whisk in broth, 1 cup at a time, until incorporated. Remove from heat.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
