Wild Duck Recipes

Jemison Thorsby

On our recent trip to Saskatchewan, we were blessed with many things: great weather, skies filled with waterfowl, and a talented chef along for the ride. Great memories were made both in the field and at the table, the way a trip should be in our opinion. 

We’re delighted to share a handful of recipes of food we enjoyed on our trip. There are loads of recipes out there for wild game. What we loved about these dishes is that they focused on simple techniques to bring out the flavor in the meat in the best possible sense. 

All of our meals were prepared with the help of a great staff at our lodge and the wonderfully talented Stefano Mastracchio. For his regular job, Stefano splits time between José Ignacio, Uruguay and Montauk, New York, where he explores Latin American and Asian cuisine with knowledge and experience built from a career of working in great restaurants around the world. Stefano has worked with renowned chefs such as Francis Mallmann, Frank Castronovo, and Frank Falcinelli doing catering, events, cooking lessons, and coordinating filming productions, with a particular interest in woodfire techniques. For the last six years, Stefano has been working and leading different operations with Fernando Trocca, including in Jose Ignacio, Buenos Aires, Manhattan, Montauk, and London. 

We were delighted to share meals and hunts with Stefano. We know you’ll enjoy these recipes that he was gracious enough to share.

Field Dinner Recipes

Continue reading for ingredients and steps to four mouth-watering dishes: Wild Duck Pate, Wild Duck and Rice, Wild Duck Escabeche, and Wild Duck Confit with Hash Browns, Chimichurri, and Fried Egg.

Wild Duck Pate

Ingredients: 

- 5 wild duck livers (approximately half a pound)
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 shallot diced small (brunoise)
- 3 garlic cloves chopped finely 
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup cognac
- Salt
- Olive oil

Steps: 

  1. Put a saucepan or iron skillet over medium heat and add three tablespoons of olive oil. Lightly brown the livers, making sure not to over cook or burn them.
  2. Remove the livers, and add the shallot to the pan.  
  3. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and slowly caramelize the shallots for 10 minutes, add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. 
  4. Deglaze the shallots first with the cognac and then following with the white wine. Let reduce for 5 minutes.
  5. Return the livers to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes. 
  6. Remove from heat. Using a blender or a kitchen processor, blend the livers and start adding the butter slowly until it becomes a smooth paste. 
  7. Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days in the refrigerator.  

To serve: 

Take the pate out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before plating. Spread the pate on a bowl, garnish with fresh thyme and sea salt. Serve with bread. Serves 4 or 6 people.

Wild Duck With Rice

Ingredients:

- 1 whole wild duck, plucked
- 1 onion cut in brunoise  
- 1 red pepper diced small (brunoise) 
- 5 garlic cloves chopped finely
- 2 cups of short grain rice  
- 5 cups of duck or chicken broth
- 1 can of beer (personal choice)  
- Olive oil  
- Salt  
- Pepper
- Thyme 
- Butter  

Steps: 

Note: the most important step in this recipe is browning the duck’s breasts, while still attached to the carcass, and then letting them rest, cool, and release their juices before removing and completing cooking. This simple technique removes the gaminess of the bird without eliminating or masking its flavor. 

  1. In a saucepan, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until golden. Add the garlic and the peppers. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook over low heat stirring every 2 minutes. Cook until caramelized and then reserve. 
  2. Separate the thighs and legs from the duck, leaving the breast whole with the skin on.
  3. In a saucepan, bring the broth to a boil with the duck thighs and legs. 
  4. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook the duck until the meat can be separated from the bone easily but before the duck is falling apart, approximately 30 to 40 minutes. 
  5. Remove the duck from the broth. Carefully remove the bones from the thighs and legs, and reserve only the meat.  
  6. Score the fat of the duck breast being careful not to score the meat.
  7. Season the duck breast with salt and pepper on both sides and let it rest for at least 30 minutes or until room temperature (if longer than 30 minutes). 
  8. Sear the duck breast with olive oil in a heavy cast iron skillet over low heat making sure not to burn the skin, rotating and pressing down on all sides until evenly browned all over. 
  9. Once golden brown, remove from the heat and let it rest on a wire cooling rack for at least 30 minutes or until it has released its juices.
  10. Place 1/4 cup of olive oil into a 15 inch iron skillet or paella pan, over medium heat.  
  11. Add the cooked vegetables, followed by the rice. 
  12. Deglaze with the beer and stir ingredients together, adding the reserved leg and thigh meat.
  13. Season with a teaspoon of salt, add the hot broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. 
  14. Cook for 20 minutes, taste, and adjust salt if necessary.  
  15. While the rice is cooking, remove the browned duck breasts from the carcass and finish cooking breasts in garlic, thyme, and butter. 
  16. Once the broth has evaporated and the rice is cooked completely, arrange the duck slices over the rice, and let rest for 5 minutes. 
  17. Serve directly from the pan. Serves 4 to 6 people

Wild Duck Escabeche

Ingredients:

- 1 whole duck (5lb avg)
- 2 large carrots cut into julienne
- 1 onion julienned
-1 cauliflower cut into 1 inch pieces 
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 cup of white vinegar
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1/4 cup of white wine
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika
- Salt 
- Thyme
- Rosemary  

Steps:

  1. In a saucepan, cover the duck with water, add 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of salt, and bring to a boil.  
  2. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook the duck until the meat can be separated from the bone easily but before the duck is falling apart, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.  
  3. Carefully remove the duck from the water, and let it rest on a cooling wire rack.  
  4. Once cool, shred the duck meat, separating the bones from the meat. Reserve all the meat.  
  5. Place a skillet pan with 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium heat.  
  6. Add the onion, and cook until golden. Follow with the garlic, carrots and cauliflower. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the carrots and cauliflower start to soften, about 5 minutes.
  7. Deglaze the skillet with the white wine and the vinegar. Reduce, then add 1/4 cup of water and cook until the carrots and cauliflower are done. 
  8. Season with sugar and smoked paprika. 
  9. Add the duck and stir well.  
  10. Jar the escabeche while hot, adding sprigs of rosemary and thyme.  
  11. Serves 4 to 6 people. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  

To serve: Arrange the escabeche in a bowl, season with olive oil, and serve at room temperature with bread.

Wild Duck Confit with Hash Browns, Chimichurri, and Fried Egg  

Chimichurri

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of Italian parsley, chopped fine
- ½  cup dried oregano  
- ¼  cup water 
- ¼  cup red wine vinegar 
- ½ cup olive oil  
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper 
- 1 teaspoon salt 

Steps: Mix the oregano with the water and salt for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Reserve in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.  

Wild Duck Confit

Ingredients:

- 1 whole wild duck, plucked and quartered if convenient
- 1 gallon olive oil  
- 3 cloves garlic 
- 1 sprig thyme   

Steps:

  1. Season the duck with salt and pepper and let it rest outside the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  2. Place the whole duck, the garlic cloves, and the thyme inside a dutch oven and cover with olive oil. Set to low heat (~190-200 degrees F) and cook for 3 hours. 
  3. Carefully remove the duck from the oil. Let it rest on a cooling wire rack for 20 minutes.
  4. Shred the duck’s meat and reserve.  

Hash Browns

Ingredients:

- 4 Yukon potatoes 
- ½ cup clarified butter 
- Salt 
- Pepper
- Butter 

Steps:

  1. Peel the potatoes and finely grate them into water. Squeeze as much starch from the  potatoes as possible and place into a bowl.  
  2. Mix the potatoes with the clarified butter and season with salt and pepper.  
  3. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  
  4. Using your hands, make small balls with the potatoes. Once the oil is hot, cook the potatoes by placing them into the skillet and smashing them down with a spatula. 
  5. Cook on both sides until golden brown.  
  6. Place the hash browns on a baking sheet and place them in a warm oven at a low temperature until ready to serve.

To serve:

In a saucepan, reheat the reserved duck with two tablespoons of oil used to make the confit. Fry an egg using your preferred method. Plate the hash brown and arrange the duck confit on top, seasoning with chimichurri and covering with your egg.

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