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I get a lot of requests for simple wild game cookery tasks, so I thought I would run through a few of them as my whims and household activities warrant. Lately I’ve been searing off a lot of duck breasts. So I thought I’d kick off this set of posts with step-by-step instructions on how to sear a duck or goose breast properly.
I know, many of you are thinking, “I know how to do this already, Hank.” To you I apologize; what’s more, my method is idiosyncratic and is likely to be different from yours — but it works. For the rest of you, here goes.
Be sure to have breasts with skin on them. Skinless breasts are not good candidates for searing, as they are boring. Use them for something else.
STEP ONE: Take the meat from the fridge and let it come towards room temperature. If you are using a domestic duck or a very fat wild duck, score the skin (but not the meat) in a cross-hatch pattern, making the cross-hatches about an inch across; this helps the fat render and will give you a crispier skin. Salt it well on both sides, then let it stand on a cutting board or some such for at least 15 minutes and up to an hour.
STEP TWO: Right before you plan on cooking the duck breasts, use the back of a chef’s knife (or other knife) to scrape the skin side of the duck — this removes a lot of excess moisture. Pat the breasts dry.
STEP THREE: If you are cooking a domestic duck or a very fat wild duck, lay the breasts skin side down in a large pan (not non-stick) over medium heat. If you are working with normal wild duck breasts, heat the pan over high heat for 1 minute, then add a tablespoon of duck fat, butter or some other oil. Let this get hot for another minute. Do not let the fat smoke. Only then do you lay the duck breasts in the pan, skin side down. ou will notice the “tails” of skin and fat from the head and the tail side of the fillet contract immediately. What? You cut off those parts? Shame. Don’t do it again…
STEP FOUR: Let the pan do its job. Cook at a jocular sizzle — not an inferno, not a gurgle — for… it depends. I like my duck medium-to-medium-rare. To do this with small ducks like teal or buffleheads, you need only about 2 minutes on the skin side, and you might want to keep the heat higher. Medium-sized ducks like wigeon, gadwall or spoonies need 3-5 minutes. Mallards, pintail, canvasbacks and domestic ducks need between 5-8 minutes. If you are cooking a goose breast, you will want the heat on medium-low and you’ll need to cook the skin side a solid 8-10 minutes. The key is to let the breast do most of its cooking on this side — it’s the flattest, and will give you that fabulously crispy skin we all know and love.
STEP FIVE: Turn the breasts over. When? Follow the guidelines above, but also use your ears: You will hear the sizzle change; it will die down, just a bit. That’s when you turn. Now — this is important — lightly salt the now-exposed skin immediately. Doing this seems to absorb any extra oil and definitely gives you an even yummier, crispier skin. Let the ducks cook on the meat side for less time. I recommend:
- 1-2 minutes for small ducks
- 3-5 for medium or large ducks (and domestic duck)
- 4-6 for geese
STEP SIX: “Kiss” the thick side of the fillet by standing two breast halves next to each other. You will notice that duck and goose breasts plump up and contract as they cook. One side of the fillet will be wider than the other, and this side will need some heat.
You can see the wider side in the picture (above, left). Just tip the breasts on their sides and cook for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, just to get some good color.
STEP SEVEN: Take the duck off the heat and let it rest on a cutting board, skin side up. Tent loosely with foil. Teal need only need a minute or two rest, while big Canada geese might need 10 minutes. Everything else benefits from about a 5 minute rest. A duck breast is just like a steak: If you don’t rest it, the juices will run all over your cutting board — and not down your chin, where they should be.
You can slice the breast from either end, either side up. You can get thinner slices by starting at the meat end, but you lose a little of the crispiness of the skin. If you are serving a whole breast, always serve it skin side up, with its sauce underneath.
That’s it. This may sound like a long process, but it all comes together in a few  minutes, once you start cooking. What’s funny is that it took me quite a lot of thinking to write this piece: Much of what I do is instinctive, from cooking hundreds of duck breasts. Breaking it down was harder than I’d thought. But I hope this helps the next time you feel like cooking duck breasts — wild or domestic. And if I am unclear or you have other questions, ask away!
Hi,
I’ve been given the task of cooking wild duck (mallard) that a friend shot last month. Have thawed them out and have successfully removed the breasts. This is my first time to handle and cook wild duck. Two of the ducks had a very dark area under the skin in the breast. Is this congealed blood? trauma? Is it safe/good to eat?
Dinner is Saturday night, so if you could please respond before then I would appreciate it. I’ve scoured your website and it has been very informative.
Thanks.
Cindy
I’ll buy every book you ever write. Congratulations Brother.
when i get a good solid crunchy crust on a duck breast i find it hard to slice the duck thin, even with my sharpest knife. a simple solution to this is to flip the duck breast over and slice it from the meat side rather than the skin side. thanks for the technique hank
hank, love your site, great food and great writing. more of a biology question than anything else, but why do we sear duck and goose, but would never dream of serving chicken that is pink? Obviously they tasted different, but what’s the difference in these birds’ biologically that lets seared duck or goose be safe?
I am unable to duck hunt anymore but love wild duck. I have some friends who give me duck breasts (Mallards) which are skinned! How do you recommend I prepare them? Thank you for your reply.
Duck is a New Years tradition with my family. I found this recipe and site a couple of days ago and made this recipe for the wife, kids and their spouses. I was told this is THE recipe for all future gatherings. Served with fingerling potatoes, salad, fresh made sourdough bread and a whole lot of red wine.
Thanks for the recipe; easy and tastes fantastic!
Happy new year.
John: Thanks for the kind words! What I typically do with seared duck like this is serve it with a simple green salad and a starch: Sometimes just crusty bread, or mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, polenta or wild rice.
Hank, I recently discovered your site and i really enjoy it. I dont have a problem cooking the wild game, but what i do have a problem with is what other dishes to prepare with the meal. what would be your suggestion for wild duck breast?
Ashley: I never brine my ducks, but some people do. I think it robs them of flavor — of course this is a good thing if they are sea ducks or divers. As for shot-up ducks, I use them to make broth or consomme. I cut out all the seriously mangled or bloodshot meat.
AS for timeline, depends on temperature. If it is warmer than 60 degrees, clean them that day. I’ve aged wild ducks for up to 5 days at 50 degrees, so yes, you can hang them. Hope that helps!
My husband is bringing home lots of ducks these days…I am new to cooking ducks. Is is worthwhile to do a kosher salt water brine before cooking? What about shot up ducks? How do you deal with meat that has sustained significant trauma? And what is the timeline for cleaning ducks…do they need done immediately or is that evening to late, or what about days later (aging)? Thanks!
It was delicious!
How do I reheat the meat to eat again without cooking it too much more?
Do you have suggestions for other dishes to make from the meat?
Thank you!
Thank you, thank you.! That was a fast reply. I am ready to taste it.
Merry Christmas!
Jeri: “Juices are clear?” Weird. Sounds like the person writing that recipe had no idea what he was talking about. You absolutely do not want the temperature of the goose breast to go above 140 degrees! Think of a goose breast like steak, not chicken. And yes, the meat should look just like a nice steak. What’s more, just like a steak, you need to rest your cooked breasts for 5-10 minutes before slicing into them. Tent the goose loosely with foil after it is done cooking.
I soaked two large Canada Goose breasts in vinegar water for 24 hours. then followed a recipe that did not mention searing. It said to bake at 350 degrees for 30 until juices are clear. At 30 minutes they had not reached 150 degrees and when slight pressure applied the red blood came out. Is this the “juice” and how would it be clear? Will the breasts be red in color when done?
I have never cooked a wild Canada goose breast so I am confused about what it should look like in color when done. Help please!
Simon and Enrique: That technique is only good for fatty domestic ducks, not wild ones. If you did that to a wild duck you would overcook it. But yes, the cool pan is a good idea for most domestics, and I will score the skin on a super-fat domestic, too.
I completely agree with Simon. I’ve been a cook for quite sometime now and yes, start off with a cool pan and render all that fat on a low heat. dont worry, it’ll crisp up. as a fatter a mact, even before that, score your layer the layer of fat (skin) before placing it in the pan. Helps with the rendering and also looks great for presentation.
For duck breasts, it is actually better to start in a cool pan, allowing a better rendering of the fat that most available duck breast contain. if you have access to free range, not force fed ducks, then your technique is ideal.
but the breast most people will get are the ones from ducks used for foie gras, which have a ridiculous amount of fat. putting those in a hot pan actually seals the skin, cook it faster and thus it leaks less fat.
fantastic! Thank you!
Joanna: I would put it in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, tops. It does depend on thickness and how well you seared off the other side, too. This technique is difficult to teach — you develop a “sixth sense” about it after having done maybe 100 of them…
…and as for chocolate sauce, can’t help you. IMHO, savory chocolate sauces don’t go well with duck. Now pheasant or turkey is another matter…
Oh and also I have been looking for a good chocolate sauce to go with duck, any ideas?