This Chinese style duck breast recipe will give you blushing, deliciously marinated meat and wonderfully crispy skin. What more could you want?
To marinate 2 duck breasts mix 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine, 4 finely diced cloves of garlic, a similar amount of finely diced fresh ginger and a pinch of five spice powder. Place the marinade in a flat dish. Dry the duck breasts and place them flesh side down into the marinade. The skin should remain above the marinade. Sprinkle the skin with salt and leave to marinate uncovered in the fridge for 2-4 hours. Remove the duck from the fridge at least ½ an hour before cooking. When you’re ready to cook preheat your oven to 220ºC (425°F). Scrape the marinade off the duck breasts and dry them again with paper towels. Score the skin in a diamond pattern then place the breasts skin side down into a cold oven-proof frypan. Turn the heat to medium and when they begin to sizzle turn the heat down. Cook slowly until the skin turns brown – this may take 15-20 minutes. When the skin is browned, turn the breasts over and place the pan in the oven for 5-10 minutes. If you want you can remove some of the rendered fat from the pan. For perfect medium duck breast the internal temperature should be 60 – 63ºC (140-145ºF). Allow the duck to rest uncovered for 10 minutes before serving.
*adapted from this recipe by Maggie Zhu from OMNIVORE’S COOKBOOK.
michelle picker cooks 