The Best Way To Cook Wild Duck

Duck!

I’m talking about the wild bird – not some physical action requiring buckled knees and erratic upper-body movements accompanied by dangling arms!

This is one of the most requested recipes at the Driftwood Lodge in SE Alaska, where I spend a few weeks every year during the silver salmon season. Every time we serve duck nachos or duck bites, some of our guests ask: “Keem, this is the best duck I’ve ever had, and I normally don’t like duck that much! How do you cook it?”

My snappy answer is: “Quickly!”

But who likes a snappy chef? (Snappers don’t.) So here’s my whole story for you…

Cut the duck breasts into 1″ x 2″ strips. (After you’ve separated them from the rest of the bird, of course!)

Make a marinade from -

• 2 shallots, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 3 Tablespoons steak seasoning mix (Montreal Steak Seasoning is fine!)
• 2 cups olive oil

Mix this well and add the duck pieces. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes. Look!

Wild Duck Pieces

Wild Duck Marinade

Marinating Duck Breast

Wild Duck – The Cooking Method

(I’d say, don’t try this at home, but then I would have wasted my time with this recipe. So, just ventilate the kitchen good, slip into your asbestos overalls, and have your fire extinguisher in working order. Pre-dial “91” on your home phone, dial “Red” Adair’s emergency number on your cell – and you’re set!)

• Heat a dry nonstick pan over high heat until it starts smoking. Dry nonstick pan – because there’s already oil on the meat in the marinade.
• While the pan is heating, briefly drain the duck. Do this with a sieve or a slotted spoon. Or better, grab the duck pieces with tongs. You don’t want to lose all the oil and you want to have some of the flavoring ingredients still stuck to the duck.

Now, focus… concentrate! Don’t do anything else while you’re cooking! If you have an itch, take care of it before you start!

• Place the duck pieces into the smoking pan and leave them in the same spot for about 30 seconds. Turn them over and cook for another 15-20 seconds.
• With a spatula, toss the pieces around the pan for about 5 seconds (if you toss the duck by flipping the pan – that’s the moment when it catches fire; it looks impressive, tho…)
• If you cook the duck any longer, it turns into “liver”.
• Serve instantly!

Note: If you put the empty pan back on the hot stove and forget to turn off the heat – you’re ducked. Happened to me.

Searing Duck

Sometimes I make “Duck Nachos” at the Driftwood Lodge. I simply heat a platter of tortilla chips in the oven – layered with shredded cheese and sliced jalapenos. The finished duck pieces go on top and along the sides of the platter. Serve with some pico de gallo and guacamole, of course!

Wild Duck Nachos

If you like, visit my Squidoo lens on “Cooking Wild Duck”. For sure watch the video, y’all hear!?

Quack. (Famous last word!)

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