Please take part in our Reader Survey!
Bonne Bouche:
Louisiana Ducks Call
by Sandra S. Juneau
photography by Abby Sands Miller
If you ever wondered what tempts duck hunters to leave hearth and home during the freezing mid-winter cold for overnight stays in the marshy potholes of Louisiana’s wetlands, you have only to imagine being blanketed by billions of stars shining overhead on a crisp clear night before experiencing the glorious blaze of dawn waking up the morning sky. And then, the magic moment when pintails, widgeons, gadwalls, teals, wood ducks or another variety of ducks come into sight!
The myriad lakes, bayous, rivers and sloughs of Southwest Louisiana, including the natural coastal marsh bordering the northshore of Lake Pontchartrain at Big Branch, are prime locations for local hunting aficionados such as P.J. Demarie III and Ricky Thomas, who take advantage of this exciting season each year. I caught up with them recently to dig up the best in duck recipes—sure to warm the souls of every hunter who returns home from a weekend out in the winter cold and those who are lucky enough to share the bounty.
P.J. Demarie III, CLU, ChFC
With a treasure trove of professional accomplishments, P.J. Demarie III has worn many hats to serve the northshore community, bringing his winning style to such organizations as the Northshore Estate Planning Council, St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce and Tammany Tigers. He is currently a Trustee Emeriti and has served as the Louisiana State Chairman for Ducks Unlimited. As a New York Life agent, he has been recognized with National Quality Awards and appointed as Chairman of the Florida Parishes Association of Life Underwriters Ethics Committee. His motto, “maximum output, maximum efficiency,” speaks for his success—he lives by a “never quit” attitude. Yet, with all his professional success, P.J. counts his family as his greatest accomplishment.
When he was selected to serve on the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Committee to choose the 2002 Louisiana Duck Stamp, P.J. was able to draw from his lifelong passion for the natural beauty and resources surrounding him in the marshes of Southwest Louisiana.
DEMARIE’S DOUBLE-STUFFED DUCKS
6-8 ducks, fully cleaned
4 packages (16 oz. size) Jimmy Dean (original blend) breakfast sausage
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 cup white onion, minced
1 cup green onions, minced
1/2 cup bell pepper, minced
1/2 cup fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Tony Chachere’s seasoning
1 bottle (16 oz.) Zesty Italian salad dressing
Optional: 12 inches of extra-hot hard breakfast sausage, cut in small 1/4-inch chunks
Dijon mustard
Crackers
Cutting with a knife or fork from the inside cavity, perforate duck breasts through and through. Set aside while preparing stuffing mix. Into a large bowl, break up packaged sausage meat and season with black pepper, onions, green onions, bell pepper and garlic. For added flavor, add chunks of extra-hot hard breakfast sausage.
Lightly mix to blend ingredients, and then stuff mixture into the duck cavities. Tightly pack stuffed ducks into a pan or casserole dish and cover with Zesty Italian salad dressing. Marinate ducks for 2 hours.
Remove marinated stuffed ducks, lightly dust with Tony Chachere’s seasoning and place breast side down on a heated grill. (Note: To cook on smoker at 150-180 degrees, allow 5 to 6 hours. To cook in 350 degree oven, allow 2-1/2 to 3 hours.) When ducks are fully cooked, cut into 1-inch slices using an electric knife to slice cross-sections across the breast and into bone. Serve sliced duck accompanied with Dijon mustard and crackers. Any leftover cooked duck may be used as a base for duck gumbo.
Ricky Thomas
As a third-generation food broker, Ricky Thomas has a natural zest for Louisiana-style classics like Cream Style Red Beans, Creole Cream Style Navy Beans and Okra & Shrimp Gumbo Soup, recipes which he has perfected as the President/Owner of Blue Runner Foods, Inc. According to Ricky, “On average, we soak, season, kettle cook and can about 40,000 cans of beans per day. Widely used in many restaurants throughout the USA, you can find Blue Runner products from California to Florida.”
With an active family that includes his wife, Lori, and their five children, Ricky enjoys golf, fishing and hunting. Over the past 10 years, he has organized two annual hunting trips in Husser, Louisiana—one for fathers and sons and another for fathers and daughters. The events have become highlights of the winter season for the many parents and kids who participate. The freezer gets filled with duck and quail following the hunts, which provides game for great dishes all winter long.
DUCK AND ANDOUILLE GUMBO
STOCK
6 ducks, fully cleaned
2 large onions, cut into quarters
1 cup celery; cut stalks in thirds
2 carrots, cleaned and cut in half
2 pounds smoked sausage, cut into cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large (20 quart) pot, place the ducks, quartered onions, celery stalks, carrots and cut-up smoked sausage. Add a little salt and pepper. Fill pot 3/4 full with cold water and bring to a rapid boil with lid on. Allow to cook for about 2 hours, or until meat is fully cooked (when leg or wing tears off easily with tongs).
Remove the ducks and continue to simmer, uncovered, reducing the liquid to about half of original amount. After the ducks cool, pick all the meat off the bones and reserve for gumbo. Return duck bones to the pot and continue cooking, reducing liquid. Set aside gumbo stock.
GUMBO
1 stick butter
3 large onions, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3-4 cups celery, coarsely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 red pepper, coarsely chopped
2 cups flour
2 cups cooking oil
2 pounds andouille sausage, cut into cubes
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, packaged Creole seasoning, Louisiana hot sauce, dried thyme, bay leaves, generous amount of sage to taste
In a large (15 quart) heavy pot, melt butter and add vegetables, cooking over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes to soften vegetables. In a separate black iron skillet, combine 2 cups of flour with 2 cups of cooking oil to make roux. Stir constantly, being careful not to burn, until the roux is almost a chocolate brown. A deep, dark roux is preferred for duck gumbo.
Add the roux to the pot with the softened vegetables. Through a strainer, gradually ladle in the stock, stirring constantly as the stock melds in with the roux. Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder, Creole seasoning, hot sauce, thyme, bay leaves and a generous amount of sage. Simmer for 10-15 minutes and taste to correct seasonings.
Either on a grill or in a hot oven, cook 2 pounds of cut-up andouille sausage. Drain off excess sausage fat. Add sausage and duck meat to the gumbo pot. Simmer for another 30-40 minutes. Never bring gumbo to a boil after duck meat is added or the meat will shred.
Ricky’s note: “The whole process can be completed in two football games on Saturday. I like to refrigerate overnight and eat Sunday during a Saints game. The gumbo is always thicker and better on the second day!”
According to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, the 2007 season for ducks and coots will be open in the West Zone through January 21 and in the East Zone through January 28. An extended falconry season for ducks, rails and gallinules will last until February 2. For more information, contact Robert Helm at 225-765-2358 or rhelm@wlf.louisiana.gov.
