You’ve been duck hunting hard all season. From early teal in sunny September to bitter cold mornings in January. Your hunting dog is worn out, your gear is put away and you’ve got a freezer full of duck meat…
As hunters we all have a responsibility to eat and enjoy the game, but as many know cooking waterfowl can be tricky. Waterfowl has a bad reputation when it comes to table fare; but it’s not the game, it’s the method of preparation. With a little guidance, you’ll be able to change the way your friends and family think of duck meat and you might even surprise yourself.
This duck recipe is primarily used with skin on duck breast but can be used with a half duck as well, meaning the breast and leg are all one piece attached with the skin on. I think it is important to pluck your ducks, especially the puddle ducks. It takes more time, but the flavor that comes from rendered duck fat can’t be beat. It is what allows a piece of meat that is otherwise pretty bland to resemble that of a beef steak.
For this duck breast recipe, you don’t need much, just a heavy bottomed skillet. I prefer to use cast iron for a classic look but anything solid will work just fine. The trick here is to render out that delicious duck fat. It has a lot of incredible flavor when done properly it produces a great crispy skin. If you choose to prepare the blueberry shallot sauce you will also need a small/medium sized saucepan.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE DUCK:
- skin on duck breast (typically expect to serve two breast filets per person)
- salt & pepper
FOR THE SAUCE:
- 1 cup of blueberries
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 1 small – medium sized shallot minced
- juice from one lemon
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Start by laying the duck out, skin side down on a paper towel lined baking sheet a few hours in advance. This will help the duck dry and makes for a crispier skin when cooking.
2. After the duck is dry, take a sharp knife and score the skin.
3. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
4. After seasoning put the duck into a cold pan and turn on the heat to medium – high.
5. While the duck fat begins to render start on the sauce.
6. Add some oil to the saucepan and start to sweat the shallots.
7. When the shallots start to become translucent, add the blueberries, lemon juice and sugar.
8. Cook until sauce starts to thicken, and blueberries burst their skins while stirring occasionally. This takes 8-10 minutes.
9. By now there should be a good amount of rendered duck fat in the pan and the skin should be crispy. Flip the duck and cook until internal temp reaches 120-125 degrees.
10. Remove the duck from the pan. Let cool for few minutes. Slice the duck thin and cover with blueberry shallot sauce. Enjoy!
