Boudin-Stuffed Quail Gumbo
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Smoked Cajun boudin sausage adds flavor impact to this dish, but feel free to use regular boudin or a quality ground pork-based raw sausage.
Recipe by:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Stuffed Quail
  • 4 whole quail, cleaned and partially deboned
  • 2 pounds boudin (smoked or regular) or pork sausage
  • 1 cup cooked Louisiana long-grain white rice, such as Supreme
  • ½ cup finely diced yellow onion
  • ½ cup diced green onion tops
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
Gumbo
  • 4 strips smoked bacon, chopped
  • 2 cups diced yellow onion
  • 2 cups diced green bell pepper
  • 2 cups diced celery
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • ½ cup chopped parsley
  • 12 cups chicken stock
  • 1 ½ cups dark roux, such as Rox's Roux
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Dash of hot sauce
  • 1 cup diced green onion tops
  • Filé powder
Instructions
Stuffed Quail
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
  2. Rinse and dry the quail being careful not to tear the flesh.
  3. Remove the boudin from the casing and mix with the rice. Add the onions, green onion tops, parsley, garlic, and rosemary and mix to combine thoroughly. Stuff the boudin mixture into the cavity of the quail, packing it full. Bring the two legs of the quail together and secure by tying with kitchen twine or with strips of aluminum foil.
  4. Place the quail on a baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes and uncover. Bake for another 10 minutes until the quail begin to brown on top. Remove the stuffed quail from the oven and remove the string. Keep warm until serving.
Gumbo
  1. In a large cast-iron pot over medium heat, add the bacon pieces. Cook until browned and remove to a platter for later use. Turn up the heat on the remaining bacon grease and once sizzling hot, add the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté until the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and parsley, and sauté until combined.
  2. Add the chicken stock and once it comes to a boil, add the roux. Reduce the heat to a simmer and season with cayenne pepper. Cover the pot and let cook for 1 hour.
  3. After 1 hour, lift the lid and skim the surface of any excess oil. Sample the gumbo and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat.
  4. For serving, place a stuffed quail in the center of a large bowl and ladle the gumbo around it. Garnish with diced green onion tops. Have filé powder and hot sauce on the table for adding extra seasoning. Serve with hot French bread.
Notes
Buy your boudin already prepared (and smoked, if possible) at a variety of South Louisiana retail sources or buy it online at Cajungrocer.com. Or you can follow my recipe for boudin here and make your own. While there is already rice and vegetables in the boudin, adding more will create a mixture of stuffing consistency. The quantity of this gumbo base liquid should accommodate another 4 quail so feel free to scale this recipe up depending on the number of guests.
Recipe by Acadiana Table at https://www.acadianatable.com/?p=10199