Duck, Duck, Wild Duck

mrswaz · #1 10-14-2009, 10:14 PM

But no goose.

Our neighbor is an avid hunter/sportsman, and every once in a while he pops over with a package of something that he's shot or reeled in. We've had a good time trying game and fish we otherwise would have never tried. This week, he handed us three packages of duck- which I was totally excited about at first.

But after exploring some options, I'm found out that wild duck is a whole different ballgame than domestic duck. (Which I've never prepared either.) This was confirmed when my DH asked him what his favorite way to prepare the duck was- and the guy looked at him and said that he was hoping I could figure something out to make them not taste like mud.

He's got 15 ducks in his freezer, and more on the way this coming weekend. I now have 3, and no idea how to prepare them... they have no skin and very little fat. Any suggestions? I've read that a 24 hour marinade will help leech out some of the gaminess. But other than that... I'm initially thinking bold flavors, but it would really be fun to figure out a few ways to prepare gamey duck.

shoezoo · #2 10-15-2009, 07:30 AM

Ask your neighbor what kind of ducks they are. Are they boned and skinned or just boned. If you find out I can recommend a couple of recipes for bone in or boneless. When I thaw ducks I soak them in iced salt water with some baking soda and then rinse them thoroughly.

Robyn1007 · #3 10-15-2009, 08:18 AM

My dad always got his ducks (and geese) smoked and I love smoked wild duck. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of domestic duck in comparison as I like the gamey flavor. If he doesn't like the flavor of the duck why does he keep hunting them? That baffles me.

mrswaz · #4 10-15-2009, 08:34 AM

They have bones- just no skin. It's easier to de-feather if you just take the skin off. It's hard to tell from the frozen package much else.

As to why he hunts them- it's all about the sport m'dear. He likes them, but wants to find some ways to cook them that his wife will eat them as well.

I have one of them thawing in the fridge right now. I was thinking about doing an overnight buttermilk soak, but after that, I'm not so sure what my plans are yet.

avariell · #5 10-15-2009, 08:59 AM

I have some boneless, skinless wild duck breasts in my freezer and I would love some suggestions on wtf to do with them

mrswaz · #6 10-15-2009, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avariell

I have some boneless, skinless wild duck breasts in my freezer and I would love some suggestions on wtf to do with them

LOL! I'll let you know what I come up with. I figure I have three attempts so I want to do three very different things.

leebee · #7 10-15-2009, 09:50 AM

I LOVE wild duck! It is very lean and can be dry if you aren't careful with it. My favorite way to prepare it is something I call "Fruit Stuffed Duck." It's duck, stuffed with fruit. There's no recipe--I just wing it.

I either roast it or crock-pot it. Times depend on the size of the duck in question. Not knowing what kind of duck or whether they are very gamey, I'd suggest a brine of your choice (typical water, salt, sugar, etc.). My mom used to thaw them in the brine, then rinse. My dad usually left the skin on (a coat of paraffin will remove pinfeathers), but lately has been skinning them. I season with whatever suits my fancy--I like aromatic spices for taming gaminess, like cinnamon, allspice and ginger, so I typically add those to some garlic and pepper to season inside & out. Then I stuff with whatever fruit I have. My favorites are small plums (prunes work great!), cranberries and pears. I cut it if need be. Then, I take some bacon that I've briefly boiled and drape it across the bird (pork fat + lean meat = good!). Then, cook till done. I usually place the bird on a bed of veggies (carrots, onions, potatoes, parsnips, garlic, perhaps more fruit. I usually make one small duck per person. DH likes extra because he loves him a duck sandwich for lunch the next day.

Anne · #8 10-15-2009, 12:16 PM

We use a tamari-ginger marinade and cook wild mallards with the beer-can chicken method. I don't know if this would work without the skin though. We use skinned golden eye for duck and crab or duck and sausage jambalaya. Skinned, sliced duck also works well with a hot-wings recipe instead of chicken. Curried duck is also excellent.

shoezoo · #9 10-15-2009, 03:22 PM

My dh usually waxes his ducks so they still have the skin on. I usually either roast or grill the whole ducks. When grilling I marinate them overnight in a mix of soy sauce, redwine, olive oil and garlic salt-the longer the marinate the better. I grill and serve them with a berry sauce I make with any kind of frozen berries, a bit of blackberry or raspberry jam and some wine. We like the grilled ducks to be a bit on the rare side.You could debone these and use the next recipe.

Our fav. recipe for boneless skinless duck breasts is Duck a la Ritz. You pound the breasts and dredge them first in seasoned flour, second in beaten egg and third in crushed ritz crackers. Melt a tablespoon of butter and canola oil at med heat and brown ducks 1 1/2 min on one side, 30 sec. on the other side, top with gorgonzola and bake for 5 min in a 400 degree oven.

My dh loves to hunt so I've had a lot of experience cooking ducks, pheasant and grouse. The ducks are actually my fav and they never taste like mud.

mrswaz · #10 10-15-2009, 03:54 PM

The plot thickens.

My defrosted package does not have bones as I thought it did. AND it appears to just be skinless breasts.

I took the smallest breast and quickly pan seared it with salt and pepper, because I wanted to know what flavor I was trying to eliminate or mask. The small breast Dh and I nibbled on was delicious! It tasted a little beefy, but wasn't gamey at all. Or if it is gamey, we just didn't notice it.

My original plan had been some kind of rustic hunters stew, but this was so tasty- I may end up something more like the Duck a la Ritz.

KristiB · #11 10-15-2009, 04:19 PM

I wonder if they would work in this?

http://community.cookinglight.com/sh...ight=cassoulet

mrswaz · #12 10-16-2009, 10:03 PM

Thanks Kristi- the cassoulet is going on the menu for next week.

I made the first package of duck tonight. I marinated for about six hours in a mixture of 7-Up, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. After that, I breaded in a coating of ground rice crackers mixed with black sesame seeds. I pan seared until golden and then popped them in the oven to finish. Visually, it was quite stunning to look at.

Flavor wise. Meh, I over cooked it a touch, but with the bigger pieces of breast I could definitely get the gamey flavor. It wasn't bad, but it reminded me of liver, actually, which I definitely am not a fan of. It was okay- DH really enjoyed it. I think I will prefer it in the form of a stew.

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