Duck Breast

Does this duck breast look good or what? They were delicious and preparing them is so easy. The duck skin contains all of the fat you'll need to cook them when you prepare them following my instructions. Unless you have an large meat store with a comprehensive selection, you're probably going to have to buy packaged frozen duck breasts. The Bell & Evans brand of frozen split duck breasts are excellent and you'll find them in a case of frozen specialty meats at Whole Foods. The box contains two perfect 6 oz servings.

Ingredients:

• Split duck breasts
• Salt
• Pepper
• Your favorite heavy skillet (I reach for my seasoned cast iron skillet.)

Instructions:

Thaw the duck breasts.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then heat a heavy skillet on a medium high burner on a range top burner. 

Cut the individually wrapped packets and turn the split duck breasts out onto a cutting board, skin side up. Use a sharp carving knife to cut the skin into a cross-hatch design. Score the skin one way and then the other so that you have diamond shape cuts in the skin.

Put the breasts, skin side down into the hot skillet. The skin will release enough duck fat for cooking. You shouldn't need to add any fat to the skillet.Turn the breasts over after the skin side is brown and crisp. Cook the meat on the flip side for 2 minutes. If you're using a cast iron skillet, you can immediately put the skillet in your preheated oven. Otherwise, transfer the meat to a baking dish, put the baking dish in the oven, and bake the breasts until they're done as you like them (about 10-20 minutes). 

If you're using a heavy skillet and you prefer, you can do all of the cooking on top of the range and the breasts will turn out great. 

Comments

[Jude_chivers]

I have never cooked duck breasts but your recipe sounds easy. Living in a remote mountain area of Colorado limits what I can buy in the small town that is an hour away. I use a lot of frozen meats and have a small freezer to eliminate frequent trips to town. Will see if the local grocer has duck breasts and give it a try.

[Ross Pipes]

Ask the grocer to order the frozen duck breasts. Most are sold frozen. If you can find a local meat shop, they'll be glad to order it. I love quick fried duck breast. It is delicious!