Chef John’s Duck, Sausage, and Shrimp Gumbo

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.

Preparation Details

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 6 hrs 15 mins

Total Time: 6 hrs 45 mins

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or more as needed
• 2 duck legs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 pound andouille sausage, thickly sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup diced serrano and pasilla peppers
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 4 green onions, chopped (Optional)
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 smoked ham hock
• 2 cups water, or as needed
• 1 cup pickled okra, rinsed and sliced
• 1 pound Gulf shrimp
• 1 pound crawfish tail meat
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onions (Optional)

Steps

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