Recipes — Duck

Prep Time

    •    Cook time: 45 minutes
    •    Yield: Serves 8-10

Ingredients

    •    1 large red chilli
    •    2-3 spring onions
    •    2 tbsps plain flour
    •    1 tsp chilli powder
    •    1/2 tsp ground cumin
    •    1/2 tsp ground ginger
    •    1/2 tsp ground fennel seeds
    •    700 ml vegetable oil , for deep-frying
    •    2 x 200 g duck breasts, skin on, trimmed of excess fat
    •    1/2 tsp sichuan seasoning, plus extra to serve (see tip)

Method

1. Arrange the duck breasts, skin-side up, on a heatproof plate that will fit inside a steamer basket. Place inside the steamer and position over a deep saucepan or wok of boiling water and steam, covered, for 12 minutes or until the duck is half cooked.
   
   
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, chilli powder, cumin, fennel, sichuan seasoning (see tip), ginger and 3 teaspoons of sea salt.
   
   
3. Remove the plate from the steamer, transfer the duck breasts to a wire rack and set aside for 25 minutes.
   
   
4. Meanwhile, finely slice the chilli on the diagonal, then trim and julienne the spring onions. Halve the lemons.
   
   
5. Toss the duck in the spicy flour mixture to coat well, shaking off any excess. In a wok, heat the oil until it shimmers slightly. Deep-fry the duck for about 2 minutes, or until just cooked through and lightly browned. Drain well on kitchen paper.
   
   
6. Cut the duck on the diagonal into 1cm slices and arrange on a serving platter with a small bowl of sichuan seasoning.
   
   
7. Garnish with the sliced chilli and spring onions, then serve immediately with the lemon halves for squeezing over the meat.

TIP: Sichuan pepper with salt is a seasoning that crops up in many Chinese recipes. You can buy sichuan (or szechuan) pepper in Asian supermarkets, Waitrose and Ocado. To make sichuan pepper and salt seasoning, dry-roast 1 tablespoon of sichuan pepper and 3 tablespoons of sea salt in a heavy-based pan. When the peppercorns start to pop and become aromatic, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cool, grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Store in an airtight container. Makes 4 tablespoons.

This great family recipe is thanks to Jamie Oliver Recipes at https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/duck-recipes/spicy-salt-duck/

The recipe teaches us how to make perfect crispy duck even when using a fattier cut of breast. Marinated in a flavorful sauce, the meat remains juicy and tender even if cook it medium or medium-well.

I love using this recipe to cook for a crowd, because you can finish multiple duck breasts in the oven together and serve everything at the same time.

Prep Time

    •    Prep time: 20 minutes
    •    Cook time: 40 minutes
    •    Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients

    •    4 pieces duck breast (12 ounces / 340 grams per piece)
    •    1/2 tsp salt

Marinade:

    •    1/4 cup hoisin sauce
    •    1/4 cup Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
    •    1/2 tsp five spice powder
    •    1 thumb ginger, sliced
    •    4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

Serving option 1:

    •    1/4 cup plum sauce
    •    1/4 teaspoon salt
    •    1 sweet potato, spiralized to noodles or cut to thin slices with a julienne peeler
    •    2 zucchini, spiralized to noodles or cut to thin slices with a julienne peeler

Serving option 2:

    •    1/4 cup sweet bean sauce (or hoisin sauce)
    •    1 cucumber, sliced to strips
    •    2 green onion, sliced to strips
    •    16 homemade Beijing duck pancakes (or store-bought pancakes)

Methods

Marinate:

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a tall bowl (or small food processor) and chop with an immersion blender until it forms a runny paste. Pour into a 12-inch (30 cm) tray or baking dish.
   
   
2. Pat the duck dry with paper towels. Place in the tray with the marinade, skin side up. Sprinkle salt on the skin. Marinate in room temperature for 30 minutes up to 1 hour, or uncovered in the fridge for a couple hours to overnight. In this case, bring the duck to your kitchen counter for at least 20 minutes before cooking, so it will return to room temperature.

Cooking Duck:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
   
   
2. Right before cooking, pat the duck dry with paper towels. Score the skin 1/2-inch (1 cm) apart to a diamond pattern (but careful not to score the meat).
   
   
3. You might need to cook the duck in two batches. Place the breast pieces in a cold ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet, skin-side down. Cook over medium heat, until they’re gently sizzling. Turn to medium-low heat. Cook until the skin turns golden brown, for another 10 to 12 minutes. Flip them over every 3 to 4 minutes. If the duck skin cooks too fast, turn to low heat. Transfer the cooked duck onto a plate and cook the rest using the same method.
   
   
4. Arrange all the duck pieces in the pan, skin- side down. Transfer the skillet into the oven and bake for 8 minutes, until the skin turns dark brown. Flip to skin-side up and bake for another 6 to 8 minutes, until the skin turns dark brown but not burnt. Transfer the duck onto a big plate, skin-side up. Allow to rest for 10 minutes without cover before carving.
   
   
5. Prepare the sides while resting the duck.
   
   
6. If you plan to serve the duck later, wrap each duck breast with aluminum foil when they are warm enough to handle and seal in a bag. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to serve, warm them up in a preheated 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes.

Serving option 1 - Easy Weekday Dinner:

    •    Transfer 1 tablespoon rendered duck fat into a large skillet. Cook the sweet potato first over medium heat until it’s tender. Then add the zucchini and sprinkle with salt. Cook until the zucchini just turns tender and the sweet potato is almost caramelized. Transfer the ‘noodles’ to serving plates.

    •    Slice the duck into thin slices and place on top of the vegetables, with plum sauce on the side.

    •    Enjoy hot as a main dish.

Serving option 2 - Fancy Peking Duck Rolls:

    •    To serve Peking duck style, steam the pancakes in a bamboo steamer for 3 to 5 minutes until hot.

    •    Slice the duck and place them on a plate. Serve with hot pancakes, sweet bean sauce (or hoisin sauce), cucumber and green onions on the side.

    •    To assemble – place one pancake in the palm of your hand, brush some sauce on the pancake, place 2 to 3 slices duck in the center, top with a few strips of green onions and cucumber. Roll and tuck the pancake like a mini burrito. Repeat, and enjoy hot as a main dish.

This great family recipe is thanks to Omnivore's Cookbook Recipes at https://omnivorescookbook.com/crispy-chinese-duck-breast/

This is my idea of perfect dinner party food: it's easy to make, not complicated to serve and looks - and tastes - exquisite. Feel free to griddle or grill your duck, rather than just sear it on the hob and then roast it, but I find I make the air too smoky when it's all done on the hob.

Prep Time

    •    Prep time: 5 minutes
    •    Cook time: 30 minutes
    •    Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients

    •    4 duck breasts
    •    200 grams rocket (or watercress or chard or mixture)
    •    1 pomegranate
    •    1 bunch fresh mint

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/gas mark 7/425ºF.
   
   
2. Heat a flameproof, ovenproof pan on the hob, and then sear the duck breasts, skin-side down, for a minute or so over a high heat.
   
   
3. Turn the duck breasts over and then place in the oven for about 15 minutes.
   
   
4. Remove the duck breasts from the oven and sit them on a carving board while you get organized. If you want to hold them at this stage, take them out of the oven at about 13 minutes and double-wrap in foil, then let them sit till you need them.
   
   
5. Line a meat plate or flattish platter with the salad leaves.
   
   
6. Slice each duck breast very thinly on the diagonal and lay on the salad-lined dish, pouring any meat juices over them as you go.
   
   
7. Halve the pomegranate, and then bash out the seeds from one half to garnish the duck slices. Squeeze some of the juice from the other half - just by hand - over the duck as well.
   
   
8. Tear off a handful of mint leaves and then finely chop them, scattering them over the duck.

This great family recipe is thanks to Nigella Recipes at https://www.nigella.com/recipes/duck-breasts-with-pomegranate-and-mint

Dani Venn creates this winning salad recipe of sliced duck breast served on a bed of warm lentils, fennel and fresh herbs, then drizzled with delicious orange butter sauce.

Prep Time

    •    Prep time: 30 minutes
    •    Cook time: 30 minutes
    •    Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

    •    4 duck breasts
    •    Sea salt flakes
    •    Fennel fronds, to garnish
    •    Extra parsley, to garnish
    •    1 large bulb of fennel, cut into wedges

Orange Beurre Blanc (Butter Sauce):

    •    Zest of 1 orange
    •    Juice of 3 oranges, strained
    •    1 tbsp white wine vinegar
    •    100g cold butter, cut into cubes

Lentil Salad:

    •    1 cup green lentils, cooked according to packet instructions, drained
    •    2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
    •    4 stalks celery, finely diced
    •    1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
    •    4 sprigs thyme, finely chopped

Method

1. To make lentil salad, cook lentils according to packet instructions, drain and set aside. Steam carrots and celery in a double boiler for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through, add to lentils. Stir through chopped parsley and thyme, season with salt. Set aside.
   
   
2. To cook fennel, rub fennel wedges with olive oil, place on high heat on griddle pan, BBQ or frypan, cook on each side for about 5 minutes until slightly charred and caramelised. Set aside.
   
   
3. To make orange butter sauce, add orange juice, zest and vinegar to a small saucepan, reduce liquid until about 2 tablespoons of liquid remain, mixture should look slightly syrupy. Remove zest. Ensure that butter is very cold, add half the amount of butter and whisk in well to combine. The sauce should emulsify and become thick, remove from heat, whisk in remaining cubes of butter. Set aside.
   
   
4. To cook duck breast, score the fat in a criss-cross pattern, season with a generous amount of sea salt flakes. Place heavy based frypan over low- medium heat, add duck breasts and allow to cook slowly and for the fat to render (melt off) for about 5 – 7 minutes until skin looks golden and crispy. Pour off excess fat and turn over duck breast, cook for a further 5 – 10 minutes depending how you like your duck cook. Remove from pan, allow duck to rest for 5 minutes before carving. Carve into thin slices.
   
   
5. To serve, gently heat up orange butter sauce if needed, drizzle a few tablespoons over the lentil salad and fennel. Place a portion of lentil salad and fennel on serving plates, top with duck breast and drizzle over orange butter sauce. Top with fresh fennel frongs (optional) and parsley.

This great family recipe is thanks to Taste Recipes at https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/pan-seared-duck-breast-orange-butter-sauce/9b60b143-2e31-4992-9e04-691631208853

A quick and utterly delicious version of a classic partnership, grilled duck breast with minted peas.

Prep Time

    •    Prep time: 5 minutes
    •    Cook time: 25-35 minutes
    •    Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients

    •    250g shelled garden pea, about 800g/1lb 12oz in their pods
    •    about 15 mint leaves
    •    50g unsalted butter, softened
    •    2 ducks breasts, ideally Barbary or Gressingham
    •    dried herbes de Provence or dried thyme, or oregano
    •    buttered new potatoes, to serve

Method

1. Shell the peas and set aside. Chop the mint and blend into the butter. Pat the duck dry with kitchen paper and place on the oiled rack of a grill pan (or place a small cake rack in a roasting pan). Use a long sharp knife to score the skin of the duck in a diamond lattice pattern. Sprinkle the skin with salt and dried herbs. (If you wish, the duck, peas and mint butter can now be covered and set aside in a cool place for a couple of hours until ready to cook).
2. Preheat the grill to very hot. Grill the duck breasts skin-side up for 10 minutes (watch carefully as you do this because the hot fat can splatter) until the skin is browning and has yielded most of its fat – carefully pour this off and reserve for roasting potatoes. Turn the duck over and grill on the flesh side for 5-10 minutes, depending on how rare you like the meat. Turn off the heat and allow the duck to rest while you prepare the peas.
3. Cook the peas in boiling salted water for 3-5 minutes or until the peas are just tender and still bright green. Drain in a colander and return to the hot pan with the mint butter. Toss the peas until evenly coated with the butter.
4. Serve the duck breasts whole or sliced with the minted peas, accompanied by buttered new potatoes.

This great family recipe is thanks to BBC Goodfood Recipes at https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1841/grilled-duck-breast-with-minted-peas