Magret de Canard

The Method for Magret de Canard

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1. Score the skin in a close diamond pattern, cutting through the fat but never into the meat.

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2. Salt the skin generously and leave 20 minutes at room temperature.

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3. Pat the skin dry and lay the breasts skin-side down in a cold, dry frying pan. Now set it over medium-low heat.

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4. Render for 9 to 11 minutes as the fat runs out, pouring the fat off into a bowl two or three times. The skin should be deep brown and glassy.

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5. Turn and cook 3 minutes on the flesh side for pink. Lift onto a warm plate to rest for 8 minutes.

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6. Pour off all but a spoonful of fat, soften the shallots 2 minutes, add the wine and boil until nearly gone, then the stock, jelly and vinegar. Reduce by half.

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7. Whisk in the cold butter off the heat. Slice the duck across the grain and spoon the sauce around it.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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What Can Go Wrong

1. Cold pan, no oil. This is the whole method.
2. Pour the fat off as it renders and keep it for potatoes.
3. Rest it eight minutes, which is longer than feels necessary.

Good to Know About Magret de Canard

A cold pan is the entire technique. Duck skin carries a thick layer of fat that needs eight or nine minutes to render out, and a hot pan seizes the skin shut before that can happen, leaving a flabby fat layer under a browned surface. Starting cold and bringing the heat up slowly lets the fat run out and the skin dry and crisp in what it leaves behind. Score the skin but never cut into the meat, or the juices escape into the pan.

On the Table Alongside

Sarladaise potatoes · Green beans · A glass of Cahors

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: French Baguette, Fougasse, French Lentils.

Keeping Magret de Canard

Best immediately. Refrigerated for 2 days; excellent cold and sliced into a salad.

Quick Answers

The Numbers per Serving

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (most of the energy comes from foods with no recorded source). Why some recipes have none.

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