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Finding the Forgotten Feast

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Classic Duck Bigarade

Finished duck bigarade recipe on the plate
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Duck bigarade is the original duck l’orange.

Before there was the gloppy 1960s version that tastes more like cheap, steam-table Chinese sweet-and-sour sauce, this classic version of the recipe is lighter and just a little bitter — the dish was originally made with bitter Seville oranges, and if you can find them, by all means use them.

Citrus and waterfowl just seem to go together, and, like my Goose Breast with Orange-Ouzo Sauce, this one also hinges on oranges. They are also in season at the same time here in Northern California. The sauce should be made while the duck is resting.

If you don’t cook ducks often, here is my tutorial on how to sear a duck breast. If you don’t want to make your own demi-glace, you can buy duck glace de viande online.

And if you want the more contemporary version of duck bigarade, you’ll want my recipe for duck a l’orange.

Duck with bigarade sauce and potatoes on a plate.
Print Recipe
4.88 from 8 votes

Duck Bigarade

This recipe is way better with skin-on breasts, but it'll work with skinless. Figure on 1 breast per person, or 2 per for smaller wild ducks -- or even more for teal. 
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time50 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 435kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 2 duck breasts
  • Salt
  • 1 tablespoon duck fat, lard or olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon flour
  • 1 shot glass of Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar or sherry vinegar
  • 1/4 cup demi-glace, or glace de viande
  • Juice of an orange (see above)
  • 1/2 an orange, quartered and sliced thinly

Instructions

  • Salt your duck breast halves at least 30 minutes before you begin. Let them rest at room temperature during this time.
  • Heat the duck fat in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Meanwhile, pat the duck breasts dry with a paper towel. Lay the breast halves down in the hot fat and cook, undisturbed, for 5 to 8 minutes. Listen for a steady sizzle, nothing too violent. If the sizzle gets to fierce, turn the heat down to medium.
  • Check the skin of the breasts: If they are browned and crispy, turn them over. If not, give them another minute or two. After the breasts are turned, cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. You might also want to "kiss" the thicker side edges of the breast, just to brown them well. When the breasts are cooked, set aside on a cutting board and grind black pepper on the skin.
  • To make the bigarade, turn the heat to medium and sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir to combine; this makes a roux. Let it cook, stirring occasionally, until it is the color of coffee-with-cream, about 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and stir to combine, then add the glace de viande, vinegar and the Grand Mariner if using. Everything will spatter, but whisk in the orange juice until it gets to a consistency you like. You may need more or less than a whole orange's worth.
  • To serve, lay down some sauce, top with slices of the breasts. Garnish with thin slices of orange. It's excellent with mashed potatoes or a wild rice pilaf.

Notes

If you don't have glace de viande (good supermarkets often have it in jars), boil down stock by half. Watch your salt levels if you do this, though. 

Nutrition

Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 180mg | Sodium: 721mg | Potassium: 665mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 193IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 11mg
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Comments

  1. Avatar for PeterPeter says

    September 8, 2019 at 5:45 am

    Hank: I made this recipe for my brother, sister-in-law and their five year old, as well as my wife and our four-year old. Everyone loved it! I used mallard breasts. The skin turned out crisp and wonderful, and the meat was a beautiful medium rare. The sauce was amazing as well. Between,this dish, the cumberland sauce recipe, and NY state’s liberal early season Canada Goose limits my wife have a plan for anything we harvest. We’re looking forward to trying the goose and ouzo recipe, and using goose legs in your venison barbacoa recipe.

    Reply
  2. Avatar for LAUREN ALLENLAUREN ALLEN says

    May 31, 2019 at 3:54 pm

    says one teaspoon flour, shouldn’t that be a tablespoon?

    Reply
  3. Avatar for Pauline ShumakePauline Shumake says

    April 7, 2019 at 6:31 pm

    This is delicious and very easy to put together. I had to use the alternative to the glace de viande but it still turned out really tasty!!!!

    Reply
  4. Avatar for Chad LowChad Low says

    December 15, 2017 at 11:50 am

    I need some insider tips for finding these Seville oranges. Here in Logan, UT, we don’t have a lot of good specialty markets, but for the most part I have gotten by. Enter the Green Curry from DDG. We made this once with substitutes and omissions and it was good, but I wanted the real deal. Well, once a week I work in Salt Lake City, and I found an incredible Asian market that had EVERYTHING I was having trouble finding (and much, much more). I was doing Chris Farley cartwheels in their parking lot. So this is another one that I have made substituting the pathetic-grade navel oranges that that find their way to Logan. but I want the real deal! What type of market should I look for the next time I am in SLC???

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      December 18, 2017 at 9:03 am

      CHad: Get it in bottles at Latin markets. It’ll be called jugo de naranja agria.

      Reply
  5. Avatar for lana longlana long says

    February 10, 2015 at 1:11 pm

    Hank. I can’t convince my hunters to leave the duck skin on breasts! This is so disappointing for the cook. So should I treat your recipes the same, obviously except for the oh so delicious skin?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      February 10, 2015 at 3:17 pm

      Lana: Keep trying. Maybe someday they will see the light. Yes, you can do this recipe with a skinless breast, but it’s a shadow of what it would be otherwise…

      Reply
  6. Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

    November 17, 2012 at 2:39 pm

    Mark: A Canada goose breast will be too large to do this with as-is. Here’s how you modify the recipe: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sear skin down as in the recipe, only in an oven-proof pan (cast iron is good). As soon as the skin is crispy, about 10 minutes on the stovetop, move the pan into the oven and cook until the meat is as you like it. Use the finger test for doneness to check, but it will be about 8-15 minutes depending.

    Hope that helps!

    Reply
  7. Avatar for MarkMark says

    November 17, 2012 at 2:24 pm

    Any reason I couldn’t use a Canada goose breast?

    Reply
  8. Avatar for FunderFunder says

    November 29, 2008 at 8:15 pm

    Just made this for dinner. It was really fantastic – thank you!

    Reply
  9. Avatar for Kindred spiritKindred spirit says

    April 28, 2008 at 5:45 am

    I finally had the opportunity to try this recipe with breasts from three wood ducks and it was fantastic. Almost as good was the leftover cold duck slices that went into the salad the next night.
    My duck stocks are now depleted. Looks like I need to get more serious about waterfowling.

    Reply

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Hank Shaw holding a rod and reel in the American River

Hi, my name is Hank Shaw. I am a James Beard Award-winning author and chef and I focus all my energies on wild foods: Foraging, fishing, hunting. I write cookbooks as well as this website, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild game, fish, or edible wild plants and mushrooms, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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