One of the most common species of waterfowl in North America, the Canada Goose, not the Canadian goose, is a great deal of fun to hunt. A large target that can often show up in huge numbers over your decoy spread. While these geese will give you a good amount of meat, with adult birds easily reaching 14lbs, the meat is not very popular as table fare. Often relegated to being jerky, Canada goose meat is very lean and dark, more comparable to venison than poultry, and it easily overcooks. Very rich in iron, it can even have a bit of offal notes to it, depending on the bird. But the strong flavor of the goose breast makes it a great candidate for gumbo, where the rich stew complements the goose, and the long cooking process helps tenderize the meat. So here’s how to make a hearty Canada goose gumbo.
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First thing you need to do is prep all your vegetables, dice up your celery, bell pepper, and onion, and have it all in one bowl. Dice your jalapeno and mince the garlic, and place them in a separate bowl. Once all the vegetables are all cut, it’s time to move on to the meat.
After the vegetables are done, take your andouille sausage and cut it into bite-sized coins, and put it aside as we get ready to prep the goose breasts.
Preparation of the goose breast itself is very easy. Butterfly the breasts, then cube them into manageable cubes. Then, with a meat hammer or a pot with plastic wrap, tenderize the meat before seasoning it with your Creole seasoning of choice.
In a hot pan, add your seasoned pieces of goose to give them a good sear, then set them aside. After you pull the last piece of goose out of the pan, keep the pan hot and add a cup of chicken stock to deglaze it. All of this will be added to the gumbo later. Things will be moving quickly from here on out, so you’ll need everything prepped to make your gumbo.
The easiest part of gumbo making to mess up is the roux. You want to make a dark roux that looks like chocolate, but you don’t want to burn the flour. You cannot walk away while making the roux, or it will burn. So if it’s your first time making a roux, go slow over low heat and keep mixing. If you see any black specs, that means the roux is burnt and will make your gumbo taste bitter. You need to toss that and start again. Also, do not make the roux too light; you will be judged if your gumbo is too pale.
Once the roux is nice and dark, add your precut trinity and stir until soft. Add the other bowl of garlic and jalapeño, and keep stirring for 30 seconds. You don’t want to add the garlic at the start because it will burn and become bitter. Pour in your beer and scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze. Keep stirring until the roux is incorporated into the beer and you don’t see any big lumps.
Now add in everything else to the pot: the goose, sausage, chicken stock, bay leaf, and seasonings, and bring the pot up to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and let it just slowly bubble away for the next couple of hours. Checking it occasionally and scraping the bottom to make sure nothing is sticking or burning.
After a couple of hours of bubbling, the goose pieces will start to tenderize, and the gumbo is ready to be served over rice. Additionally, it’ll be even better the next day when you reheat it, as all the flavors combine.
Notes:
Be careful when making the roux; it will be incredibly hot and can easily burn you if you get it on yourself.
You can skim the fat off the top of the gumbo if you like, but people will probably judge you for it.
Recipe Details
Cajun Canada Goose Gumbo
Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 3 hours | Servings: 8
Ingredients:
- 2 Canada Goose Breasts, skin off and cubed
- 1 Large Onion, diced
- 2 Green Bell Peppers, diced
- 3 Ribs Celery, diced
- 10 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 Jalapeño, diced
- 2 Sprigs Thyme, leaves plucked
- 3/4 cup Avocado Oil (or other high-temp oil)
- 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 4 Bay Leaves
- 1 Tallboy (16 oz) Lager Beer
- 8 cups Chicken Stock
- 2 lb Andouille Sausage, cut into coins
- 1 tbsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Creole Seasoning
- 1 tbsp Louisiana Hot Sauce
- Long Grain Rice (for serving)
- Green Onions, sliced (for garnish)
Instructions:
- Butterfly and cube goose breasts into 1-2 inch pieces, tenderize with a meat mallet, season with Creole seasoning, and sear in a hot pan. Deglaze with 1 cup of chicken stock and set meat aside.
- In a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat, combine oil and flour to make a dark roux. Stir constantly until the color resembles chocolate.
- Add diced onions, bell peppers, and celery (“the trinity”) to the roux and stir until softened, then add garlic and jalapeño and stir for 30 seconds more.
- Pour in beer and scrape the pot to deglaze. Stir until the roux fully dissolves into the liquid.
- Add seared goose, sausage, remaining chicken stock, thyme, bay leaves, black pepper, and additional Creole seasoning. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and let bubble gently for 2+ hours.
- While gumbo simmers, prepare long grain rice and slice green onions.
- After a couple hours, taste and add hot sauce. Once goose is tender and gumbo thickened, it’s ready.
- Serve by placing rice in bowls, ladling gumbo on top, and garnishing with green onion.
Notes:
- Be cautious when making the roux—it can burn easily and is extremely hot.
- Skimming the fat is optional (but some Cajuns may judge you).
- Gumbo is often better the next day after flavors meld.
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