Coot Gumbo
  • Duration

    1 ½ hours

  • Serves

    5
Chef’s notes

This recipe comes from Episode 5 of Duck Camp Dinners featuring professional chef and hunter Jean-Paul Bourgeois. You can catch every episode of Duck Camp Dinners here.

Gumbo may be the most iconic and recognizable dish of Cajun country. Unfortunately there are more bad recipes for gumbos than good ones. Fear not. This recipe was one of the first Cajun recipes I ever learned, and I've tweaked it a bit over time.

Poule d'eau (or coot, as most folks call them) are one of the most beloved waterfowl species of Cajun culture. I've often called Cajun cooking the "great equalizer" for any wild game and it's a good bet that this gumbo recipe will answer any of your "what to do with this meat?" questions.

How to cook coot

Ingredients

  • 15 coot, skinned and cleaned
  • 1 lb. smoked sausage
  • 1 cup oil
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 2 cups diced onion
  • 1 cup diced green bell pepper
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 qts. of fowl stock
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 cup sliced green onion
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • Spiceology SPG Seasoning
  • Tabasco pepper sauce to taste
  • Pepper vinegar (optional)

Junior's Potato Salad

  • 2 ½ lbs Russet Potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 4 eggs, whole
  • 1 cup Blue Plate Mayo
  • 1 tbsp. yellow mustard
  • 1 tbsp. Spiceology SPG Seasoning
  • Spicy Andouille Blend from JPB x Spiceology to garnish

Also works with

Any small gamebird

Special equipment

Cast iron pot

Preparation

  1. In a cast iron pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly on low heat until dark Cajun roux is achieved. The color should be similar to dark milk chocolate.
  2. Add sausage to the hot roux and cook for 10 minutes on low heat.
  3. Stir in onions and garlic and cook for 10 minutes on low.
  4. Stir in bell peppers and celery and cook for an additional 10 minutes on medium heat
  5. Add hot fowl stock slowly to the mixture, continuously stirring.
  6. Add pouldeau meat, bay leaf, and thyme.
  7. Season with Spiceology SPG.
  8. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and turn down to medium-low.
  9. Simmer mixture for 1 hour or until the breast meat easily pulls from the bones but doesn't fall off.
  10. Season again with SPG and Tabasco pepper sauce.
  11. Finish with green onions and serve gumbo with a dollop of white rice.

Junior's Potato Salad

  1. Boil your potatoes and eggs together until cooked.
  2. Peel and fine dice the eggs.
  3. Add potatoes, mayo, mustard, and SPG to your eggs and stir together until well mashed but not smooth.
  4. Season the top of the potato salad with the Spicy Andouille Blend.

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Coot Gumbo

Recipe by: Jean-Paul Bourgeois
Coot Gumbo
  • Duration

    1 ½ hours

  • Serves

    5
Chef’s notes

This recipe comes from Episode 5 of Duck Camp Dinners featuring professional chef and hunter Jean-Paul Bourgeois. You can catch every episode of Duck Camp Dinners here.

Gumbo may be the most iconic and recognizable dish of Cajun country. Unfortunately there are more bad recipes for gumbos than good ones. Fear not. This recipe was one of the first Cajun recipes I ever learned, and I've tweaked it a bit over time.

Poule d'eau (or coot, as most folks call them) are one of the most beloved waterfowl species of Cajun culture. I've often called Cajun cooking the "great equalizer" for any wild game and it's a good bet that this gumbo recipe will answer any of your "what to do with this meat?" questions.

How to cook coot

Ingredients

  • 15 coot, skinned and cleaned
  • 1 lb. smoked sausage
  • 1 cup oil
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 2 cups diced onion
  • 1 cup diced green bell pepper
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 qts. of fowl stock
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 cup sliced green onion
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • Spiceology SPG Seasoning
  • Tabasco pepper sauce to taste
  • Pepper vinegar (optional)

Junior's Potato Salad

  • 2 ½ lbs Russet Potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 4 eggs, whole
  • 1 cup Blue Plate Mayo
  • 1 tbsp. yellow mustard
  • 1 tbsp. Spiceology SPG Seasoning
  • Spicy Andouille Blend from JPB x Spiceology to garnish

Also works with

Any small gamebird

Special equipment

Cast iron pot

Preparation

  1. In a cast iron pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly on low heat until dark Cajun roux is achieved. The color should be similar to dark milk chocolate.
  2. Add sausage to the hot roux and cook for 10 minutes on low heat.
  3. Stir in onions and garlic and cook for 10 minutes on low.
  4. Stir in bell peppers and celery and cook for an additional 10 minutes on medium heat
  5. Add hot fowl stock slowly to the mixture, continuously stirring.
  6. Add pouldeau meat, bay leaf, and thyme.
  7. Season with Spiceology SPG.
  8. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and turn down to medium-low.
  9. Simmer mixture for 1 hour or until the breast meat easily pulls from the bones but doesn't fall off.
  10. Season again with SPG and Tabasco pepper sauce.
  11. Finish with green onions and serve gumbo with a dollop of white rice.

Junior's Potato Salad

  1. Boil your potatoes and eggs together until cooked.
  2. Peel and fine dice the eggs.
  3. Add potatoes, mayo, mustard, and SPG to your eggs and stir together until well mashed but not smooth.
  4. Season the top of the potato salad with the Spicy Andouille Blend.