There’s a wide world of delectable poultry out there beyond chicken. Duck is a powerful source of nutrients like protein and iron – and, let’s not forget, flavour.
A 170-gram serving of roasted duck breast with the skin has about 42 grams of protein and 1440 kilojoules. If you’re worried about kilojoules, the same amount of duck without the skin has 37 grams of protein and 785 kilojoules. If you’re not worried about kilojoules, that fat is delicious; you should also save whatever renders when you cook. Duck fat makes for next-level hash browns, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower
Also duck has 13,992,875 grams of deliciousness.
Especially when your recipe for duck comes from Kevin Belton, a chef and cookbook writer. His latest is Kevin Belton’s Cookin’ Louisiana, from which the following recipe was adapted.
When you go shopping for the bird, you’ll likely find three types of duck breast: Pekin (the mildest of the bunch), Muscovy (the gamiest), and Moulard (a balance of the two). The D’Artagnan brand is a good online source for all three varieties (dartagnan.com) and may be available at the grocery store, too. Make sure you buy the raw, not the smoked, kind for this recipe.
The duck in the meal that follows provides you with 43 grams of protein per serving—which is well beyond the 30 grams you need to build muscle.
To round out your meal with the 10 grams of fiber you need to stay full until your next meal, make the side dishes. They’re as delicious as the duck.
Crispy Glazed Duck Recipe
What You’ll Need
SERVES 4
• ¼ cup hoisin sauce
• ¼ cup mirin (rice wine)
• ½ tsp five-spice powder
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 4 duck breasts, 225g each
*Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness.
METHOD
1. In a food processor or blender, combine the hoisin, mirin, five-spice powder, ginger and garlic. Pulse until it forms a runny paste. Pour into a 30-cm baking dish.
2. Pat the duck dry with paper towels and add to the marinade, skin side up. Divide ½ tsp kosher salt between the breasts. Marinate, uncovered, in the fridge for a couple hours to overnight. Remove the duck from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature, at least 20 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Pat the duck dry with paper towels again and score the skin with the tip of a sharp knife in a 1.5-cm diamond pattern. In a cast-iron pan over medium, add the duck, skin side down, and cook until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Flip the duck and sear, 3-4 minutes. Flip once more, transfer the pan to the oven, bake for 8 minutes, flip to skin side up, and bake until the skin is dark brown, 6-8 more minutes. Transfer the duck to a big plate, skin side up. Rest about10 minutes before carving and serving.
Nutrition per serving: 1750 kilojoules, 43g protein, 13g carbs (1g fibre), 19g fat
This recipe was originally published on menshealth.com
