Cajun Duck and Sausage Etouffee Recipe
Bring Louisiana to your table with this Cajun Duck and Sausage Etouffee - one of our favorite Mardi Gras recipes!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 whole mallard or similar size duck or 2 smaller ducks like teal, plucked and cleaned
- 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (plus 3 tablespoons)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon Tony's creole seasoning
- ¼ cup butter (4 tablespoons)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 8 ounces andouille smoked sausage, sliced into ½-inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon gumbo file
- ½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- Cooked white rice for serving
Instructions
- Arrange duck so cavity faces you. Draw tip of a sharp knife along side of the breastbone, making sure knife stays against bone, to separate meat from breastbone. Rotate duck 90 degrees.
- Starting at pointy (cavity) end of breast, draw knife along rib cage, lifting meat as you separate it from ribs. Repeat on other side.
- Score the duck breast skin (but not the meat) in a cross pattern. This helps the fat render and will give you a crispier skin. Place both skin-on breasts on a plate and set in refrigerator until ready to use.
- Take the remaining duck carcass and season all over with 1 teaspoon salt.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven on a stovetop burner over medium-high heat. Add duck carcass (without the breasts) and fry for about 5 minutes until browned on all sides.
- Add the chicken broth, Worcestershire, and Tony's seasoning to the Dutch oven. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 2 hours until duck is tender.
- Using tongs, carefully remove the duck pieces from the pot and let cool, then remove the meat from the bones, discarding the bones. Pour the broth and meat mixture into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Using the same Dutch oven, warm ¼ cup vegetable oil over medium heat until hot. Add butter and whisk in flour, 1 tablespoon at a time and cook, whisking constantly for about 10 minutes until the roux becomes smooth and fragrant but doesn't take on much color.
- Carefully add the onion, bell pepper, celery, minced garlic, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt and black pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add sausage and reserved meat and broth mixture back into the Dutch oven, bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, take the duck breasts out of the refrigerator and pat them dry with paper towels. Season them with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
- In a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil lay the duck breasts skin side down then turn the heat to medium-high and cook for about 5 minutes. Then flip them over and cook for another 3 minutes until an instant read meat thermometer shows it at 130 degrees F. Transfer the duck to a cutting board and let it rest, skin side up.
- To the etouffee mixture in the Dutch oven, stir in gumbo file and hot sauce.
- At this point you want to taste it and add more seasonings to your liking. Maybe a dash more salt or Tony's.
- Serve warm over rice with a few pieces of the crispy duck breast on top. Garnish with fresh parsley or chopped green onions.
