Crawfish Swamp Gumbo

Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! You got crawfish in there, sweet and snappy, swimmin’ around like they still got rhythm. Then duck, oooh, that’s rich. That’s smooth. That’s the kinda flavor that plays low and slow, like a midnight blues line. And andouille? Lawd have mercy! That sausage don’t whisper. It blows a horn. Smoky, spicy, struttin’ through that roux like it owns the place. That gumbo’s dark and deep, like a good jazz solo. Starts off mellow, then builds, then…bam! All them flavors come together like a full brass band on Mardi Gras. That ain’t just food. That’s a parade in a bowl, baby.

Ingredients

1 duck breast
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 andouille sausages
1/4 cup flour
2 10 oz cans Fire Roasted Rotel tomatoes with chiles
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 jalapeno
2 ribs celery
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley
12 whole crawfish
2 cups chicken or duck broth
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
1 bay leaf
1 tbs filé powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dreid oregano
1/2 tsp back pepper
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp cayenne

Directions

Slice a cross hatch pattern deep into the duck skin and season with salt. In a stock pot over low heat coat the bottom of the pan with oil and place the duck breast skin side down. Render out as much of the duck fat as you can, about 15 minutes.
Remove the duck breast from the pot. Slice the andouille into 1/4 inch circles and sear in the duck fat. Remove the skin from the duck breast, slice into strips and return to the duck fat. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until sausage begins to brown. Remove the duck skin and sausage from the pot.
Lower the temperature of the pot back down to low heat. There should be about a 1/4 cup of fat in the pot. Add an equal amount of flour to the fat in the pot and cook over low heat stirring every 3-5 minutes until the roux is dark brown to brick red in color, about 20-25 minutes.
Chop the onion, peppers, celery, and garlic into a small dice and mince the parsley. Turn the pot with the roux back up to medium heat and add the vegetables and parsley with the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, filé powder, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, celery salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Stir to combine with the roux.
Slice the duck breast into strips and add to the pot with the andouille rounds. Stir to combine.
Once the vegetables begin to soften, add the two cans of Rotel tomatoes with chiles. Use the liquid from the tomatoes to deglaze the pan and scrape up any fond on the bottom.
Stir in the stock and crawfish to the pot and allow to simmer 20-25 minutes.
Adjust for seasoning and serve over rice.