Name: Chef John's Duck, Sausage, and Shrimp Gumbo
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 6 h 15 min
Total time: 6 h 45 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Southern
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; 0.5 teaspoon dried thyme; 0.25 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

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.