Duck Confit is a traditional French dish that consists of very tender and moist duck meat that is slowly cooked in duck fat. It is one of the finest dishes in French cuisine and is absolutely delicious.
The meat is first cured in salt and spices for up to two days and then covered with melted duck fat and slowly cooked in the oven on very low heat until very tender. After cooking the duck confit is preserved, covered in duck fat and refrigerated until ready to serve.
Before serving, the meat is gently removed from the fat and seared in a pan until the skin gets really crispy. The moist and tender meat meets the crispy skin and the combination is really flavorful and totally amazing.
I usually like to serve duck confit with a refreshing salad, but feel free to serve it alongside braised cabbage, roasted potatoes or your favorite side dish. Enjoy!
RELATED POSTS:
Stuffed Chicken Breast
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Whole Roasted Chicken
Duck Confit
Ingredients
- 2 duck legs
- 4 garlic cloves , sliced
- 1/2 red onion , sliced
- 3 tsp (15g) sea salt
- Fresh herbs (like thyme , bay leaves
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 30 oz (850g) duck fat
Orange and Avocado Salad
- 4 cups (100g) mixed salad
- 1 orange , segmented
- 1 small avocado , halved
- 2 tbsp (16g) almond or pumpkin seeds , toasted
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Dressing
- 2 tbsp (30g) orange juice
- 1 tbsp (14g) olive oil
- 1 tsp (5g) Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp (10g) honey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Pat dry the duck legs using paper towels. Sprinkle half of the salt on the bottom of a dish, add half of garlic, about a quarter of sliced red onion and some fresh herbs. Arrange duck legs in a single layer, skin side up, and sprinkle with the remaining salt, garlic, onion, herbs and some freshly ground black pepper. Cover the dish, and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 240F (115C).
- Remove the dish from the refrigerator and rub off the excess of salt and spices, and arrange the duck legs on the bottom of a heavy baking dish.
- Melt duck fat over low heat and pour over the legs. The legs should be fully covered by fat.
- Place the dish in the oven and cook, uncovered, for about 2-3 hours, until the duck is cooked and tender. (check with a knife, it should come out easily)
- Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Transfer the legs into a heat-proof casserole dish, strain the fat over the legs and let cool to room temperature.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 6 weeks.
- For the salad. First prepare the dressing. In a small bowl or jar add the dressing ingredients and mix to combine.
- In a salad bowl add mixed salad, segmented orange slices, avocado slices, toasted nuts and coat with the dressing. (Reserve about 2 tsp of dressing for the plating if desired).
- Carefully remove duck legs from fat. I like to put the dish in a larger pan filled with warm water, over low heat, to gently melt the fat and remove the legs without breaking.
- Heat a large non stick pan over medium-high heat. Add about 1 tbsp of duck fat. Add the legs skin side down and cook for about 5 minutes, flip and cook for about another 3 minutes until crisp on all sides.
- Serve immediately alongside fresh salad or your favorite side dish. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @homecookingadventure on Instagram and hashtag it #homecookingadventure.