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Chef John's Creole Gumbo

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PREP TIME
30 min
COOKING TIME
375 min
TOTAL TIME
405 min
SERVINGS
8 servings
Dinner Southern
Chef John's Creole Gumbo
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 peppers
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 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 chopped green onion
Instructions
1
Preheat your cooking surface by heating oil in a skillet over medium heat.
2
Cook the duck legs in hot oil, skin-side down, until they develop a golden brown color and the fat has melted, taking around 10 minutes. Flip them over and cook for another 3-4 minutes on the other side, until it's also nicely browned.
3
Transfer the duck legs to a plate and leave the melted fat in the skillet.
4
Now, mix 1 cup of flour into the remaining fat in the skillet, adding enough oil to create a smooth and thick paste.
5
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches a deep, reddish-brown color, which should take around 40 minutes.
6
Next, whisk in an additional 2 tablespoons of flour and cook for another 2 minutes.
7
Gradually add broth, 1 cup at a time, until it's fully incorporated.
8
Remove the skillet from the heat.
9
In a separate pan, cook sausage over medium heat until it's nicely browned, taking around 8 minutes.
10
Add chopped onion, peppers, celery, and green onions to the pan and cook until the onion is translucent, which should take about 10 minutes.
11
Stir in black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf before adding diced tomatoes.
12
Combine everything well.
13
Place a ham hock in the center of your pan and pour the roux mixture over it along with enough water to cover everything.
14
Add the duck legs on top and bring the mixture to a simmer.
15
Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid set at an angle to let steam escape.
16
Simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, until the duck and ham hock meat are tender, which should take around 4 hours.
17
As it simmers, skim off as much fat as possible from the top.
18
Transfer the duck legs and ham hock to a large bowl and let them cool down.
19
Stir pickled okra into the gumbo before picking meat from the duck legs and ham hock.
20
Return the meat to the gumbo and simmer it for another 45 minutes.
21
Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil.
22
Stir in shrimp and crawfish tails; cook until both are bright pink, which should take about 3 minutes.
23
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of sliced green onions and stir well.
24
Taste and adjust for seasoning as needed.