Wild Duck

Wild Duck © kvalifood.com

Wild duck has a more intense flavor than farmed duck and needs a bit more attention during cooking. The birds are slowly braised with stock and cream, and the sauce is finished with a little jelly to balance the strong game flavor. Prefer plucked birds — skinned ones dry out quickly.

Ingredients

Yields 2–4 servings

  • 2 large wild ducks (e.g. mallards) or 4 teal
  • 30 g butter
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2–3 dl stock
  • 1½ dl heavy cream
  • 1 tsp rowan berry jelly (or redcurrant jelly)

To serve

  • roasted potatoes
  • white cabbage salad with lemon cream

Directions

Prepare the ducks

Pat the ducks thoroughly dry inside with paper towels. Secure the legs and wings with skewers. Rub the ducks all over on the outside with salt and pepper.

Brown and braise

Melt the butter in a heavy casserole until golden. Brown the ducks and giblets on all sides. Add the stock and half the cream. Put the lid on and lower the heat.

Cook for 10–15 minutes on each side first, then finish with the breast side up. Spoon the remaining cream over the breast as it cooks. Cooking time depends on the size of the birds: teal take 35–40 minutes, larger mallards about 45 minutes for young birds and up to 1½ hours for older ones. Check with a skewer in the thigh to see if the meat is tender.

Make the sauce

Remove the ducks and keep them warm under foil. Season the pan juices with the jelly and let them reduce a little. If needed, thicken with a flour slurry made from 1 tbsp flour stirred into cold water.

Serving

Carve the wild ducks as you would a chicken. Serve with roasted potatoes and white cabbage salad.

Notes

  • Plucked ducks with skin give the best result. Skinned birds dry out easily during cooking.
  • The liver can be mashed with a fork and stirred into the sauce for extra depth.
  • Halved, pitted green grapes (about 150 g) can replace the jelly — add them while the sauce reduces.
  • If you suspect the ducks have been feeding on fish, soak them in buttermilk for 4–12 hours. Then stuff them with peeled potatoes during cooking — the potatoes absorb the fishy flavor and are discarded afterwards.
  • Teal are vegetarian feeders and never taste fishy. They are about half the size of mallards.
  • Wild ducks are often called “marsh ducks” in Danish — this is a general term, not a specific species.