Wild Duck Gumbo
Discover Ashton Mallette’s crowd-pleasing wild duck gumbo recipe — a mouth-watering, soul-warming comfort food that’s tough to beat.
Wild Duck Gumbo
Montana Knife Company
10
4 hours
20 minutes
500
American
Dinner
This recipe comes to us from Ashton Mallette, owner and manager of Black Duck Waterfowl and friend of Montana Knife Company.
When you need a comforting dish to please a crowd, duck gumbo is tough to beat. As a waterfowl outfitter, I’m proud to use my own wild game to whip up some mouthwatering Cajun cuisine. The unique, rich flavor of wild duck combined with traditional gumbo ingredients makes for a savory, soul-warming meal.
Below, I’ll walk you through my simple yet satisfying wild duck gumbo recipe, from the equipment you’ll need to step-by-step cooking instructions. You’ll also find helpful notes on preparing it ahead of time and freezing it for later.
Ingredients
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Large heavy-bottomed stock pot
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1 whole wild duck, broken down and skin removed (reserve the skin)
28 oz. (two packs) of andouille sausage, sliced
Canola oil (if needed to supplement duck fat)
3 lbs. yellow onions, diced (about 3 large onions)
3 celery stalks, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
7 garlic cloves, minced
4 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (for the roux)
4 liters (16.5 cups) chicken stock
1/2 Tbsp. salt (preferably kosher or sea salt), plus more as needed
1–2 tsp. Cajun seasoning (I use Slap Ya Mama)
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. Louisiana Hot Sauce
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
Cooked rice for serving
Directions
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Set pot over medium heat and add 2 tsp. of canola oil. Once oil is hot, add sliced andouille sausage and brown on both sides.
Remove browned sausage and set aside.
Turn heat down to medium-low and add duck skin. Turn occasionally to render the fat, but be careful not to let it burn. Reduce heat if necessary. May take about 15 mins.
Once you have 1/2–1 cup rendered fat, strain through a sieve into a measuring cup and discard any solids. If you don’t have at least 1/2 cup liquid, add more canola oil.
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Set heat to medium and return rendered fat to pot.
Stir in the flour. Continuously stir with a wooden spoon until roux is the color of milk chocolate (about 45–60 mins). This is a slow process, so keep a close eye on the heat and turn it down if it gets too hot. Don’t let your roux sit for long — it will burn.
When happy with your roux color, carefully add onions and continue stirring for another 15 mins.
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Turn heat to medium-low and stir in garlic, bell peppers, celery, and bay leaves. Let your vegetables cook down and smother until soft, stirring occasionally (another 20–30 mins).
When the vegetables are very soft, turn heat to medium and place duck in the bottom of the pot to brown for a few minutes. If needed, scrape everything to the side to make room. Keep an eye on the vegetables so they don’t burn. Your aim is mainly to give the duck meat some color.
Add a bit of stock to scrape up and deglaze anything stuck to the bottom of your pot. Then add the remaining stock and seasonings. Bring everything to a simmer over medium-low heat.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until duck meat falls off the bone — about 1.5–2 hours. Remove duck bones before serving and shred meat slightly if desired. Taste as you go and adjust seasonings. It’s better to season in layers over time rather than all at once.
Garnish with green onion and parsley and serve over rice.
