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    Duck and Crawfish Gumbo

    Source of Recipe

    From "Sweet Home Café Cookbook" by Albert Lukas

    Recipe Introduction

    "In Southern Louisiana, there are as many different gumbos as there are grandmothers. This one is a variation on a classic Cajun duck and andouille gumbo, complete with mahogany roux. The Café uses andouille sausage, Rohan duck, and American farm-raised crawfish."

    List of Ingredients

    â—¦ 6 duck legs (about 4 pounds)
    â—¦ 4 tablespoons Creole seasoning, divided
    â—¦ 1 pound andouille sausage, cut into ½-inch-thick rounds
    â—¦ ¼ cup all-purpose flour
    â—¦ ¼ cup tomato paste
    â—¦ 1 cup diced yellow onion
    â—¦ ½ cup diced red bell pepper
    â—¦ ½ cup diced green bell pepper
    â—¦ 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    â—¦ 6 cups chicken stock
    â—¦ 1 cup tomato purée
    â—¦ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    â—¦ 2 bay leaves
    â—¦ ½ bunch fresh thyme
    â—¦ ¾ cup finely diced celery
    â—¦ 2 cups okra, cut into ½-inch-thick rounds
    â—¦ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
    â—¦ 1 cup cooked crawfish tails
    â—¦ 1 tablespoon gumbo filé powder
    â—¦ Salt
    â—¦ Freshly ground black pepper
    â—¦ Tabasco sauce (optional)
    â—¦ Steamed white rice, for serving

    Recipe

    Arrange the duck legs on a baking sheet and season by rubbing all sides well with 2 tablespoons of the Creole seasoning. Let the duck sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

    Heat a large, heavy-bottomed stewpot or Dutch oven (cast iron is excellent for gumbo) over medium heat. Place the duck legs skin-side down in the pot, and allow the fat to render from the duck. Reduce the heat to low. Brown the skin side well for 30 minutes, then turn and brown the flesh side for a further 10 minutes. Avoid burning the duck fat. Once the duck is browned but not fully cooked, remove the legs and transfer to a platter. Next brown the sausage in the duck fat in the same pot. Remove the sausage but leave the fat in the pan.

    Make a roux by adding flour to the duck fat and cooking over low heat until it turns a rich chocolate brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Be sure to stir the roux often to keep it from burning. Once the roux has browned, immediately add the tomato paste, stir well, and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the onion, red and green bell peppers, and garlic and cook for 3 more minutes while stirring regularly.

    Whisk the chicken stock and tomato purée into the roux, mixing well. Increase the heat and bring to a simmer, enabling the stock to thicken. Add the duck legs, sausage, the remaining 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning, oregano, bay leaves, thyme, and celery and simmer for 1 ½ hours. During this cooking time, regularly skim off excess fat from the surface.

    Carefully remove the duck from the pot and set aside to cool slightly. Then remove and discard the skin. Cut the meat from the bones into about 1-inch cubes. Discard the bones, return the meat to the pot, and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Add the okra and cook for 10 more minutes, until tender.

    In a medium skillet over high heat, melt the butter and allow it to lightly brown. Quickly add the cooked crawfish tails and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the crawfish to the gumbo and stir in the filé powder. Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and with Tabasco sauce if you like it hotter. Serve over rice.

    Serves 6 to 8

 

 

 


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