Coot Gumbo with Junior’s Potato Salad
Author: 
 
Makes about 10 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
  • 2 cups diced onion
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup diced green bell pepper
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 3 quarts hot fowl or chicken stock
  • 15 coots (see note), skinned and cleaned
  • 3 dried bay leaves
  • 2 fresh sprigs thyme
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • Pepper sauce*, to taste
  • 1 cup sliced green onion
  • Pepper vinegar (optional)
  • Junior’s Potato Salad (recipe follows) and hot cooked long-grain white rice, to serve
Junior’s Potato Salad
  • 2½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup mayonnaise*
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • Garnish: Cajun seasoning
Instructions
  1. In a large cast-iron pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour, and cook, 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, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes on low heat. Stir in diced onion and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes on low. Stir in bell pepper and celery, and cook, stirring frequently, for an additional 10 minutes on medium heat. Add hot fowl stock slowly to the mixture, continuously stirring. Add coot meat, bay leaves, and thyme. Season generously with salt and black pepper.
  3. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and turn down to medium-low.
  4. Simmer until the breast meat easily pulls from the bones but doesn’t fall off, about 1 hour. Season with salt, black pepper, and pepper sauce; discard bay leaves. Finish with green onions, and serve gumbo with Junior’s Potato Salad, pepper vinegar, and a dollop of white rice.
Junior’s Potato Salad
  1. In a large pot, boil your potatoes and eggs together until cooked. Drain, and let cool.
  2. When eggs are cool enough to handle, peel and finely dice.
  3. In a large bowl, stir together potatoes, mayonnaise, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Add eggs, and stir together until well combined but not smooth. Garnish with Cajun seasoning, if desired. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
*Jean-Paul uses TABASCO® Original Red Pepper Sauce.

*Jean-Paul uses Blue Plate Mayonnaise.

One whole large duck or chicken may be substituted for coots. Shred or chop chicken or duck meat after simmering in step 4, discarding bones.
Recipe by Louisiana Cookin' at https://louisianacookin.com/coot-gumbo-with-juniors-potato-salad/