Salmis of Duck
User Reviews
5
12 reviews
Excellent
-
Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
1 hr
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Servings
4 people
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Calories
1780 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
French
Salmis of Duck
Report
Salmis of Duck is a rich braised duck recipe featuring wild duck roasted at high heat and finished with a sauce made from brandy, red wine, and duck stock. The dish includes reconstituted dried mushrooms and fresh mushrooms, cooked with shallots, carrot, celery, bay leaf, and thyme, creating a deep, earthy flavor. The duck is roasted on celery sticks, ensuring even cooking and proper moisture. Traditionally, the dish is served with thick, crusty baguette slices and can be garnished with parsley and optionally paired with duck liver pâté.
Description
Salmis of Duck combines wild duck roasted at very high temperature with a complex sauce of brandy, red wine, and rich duck stock. The recipe calls for drying and rehydrating mushrooms to intensify the mushroom flavor, which along with shallots, carrots, celery, and herbs creates a deeply flavored base for the sauce. Roasting the duck on celery provides a natural rack that infuses subtle vegetal notes and prevents the duck from sitting in liquid. The resulting meat has a well-browned crust and tender interior.
The sauce is finished with butter for richness and combined with sautéed fresh mushrooms to complement the duck. The dish is typically served with thick crusty bread to soak up the sauce and can be enhanced by optional garnishes like chopped fresh parsley and duck liver pâté, contributing layers of flavor and texture.
This recipe suits an occasion where a robust flavored game bird dish is desired, featuring rich, savory ingredients and a methodical preparation that highlights the duck's natural qualities alongside an earthy mushroom-infused sauce. Selecting a bold French red wine to accompany the meal complements the flavors of the dish well.
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Ingredients
- 2 wild duck 4 teal or 2 bigger ducks, about 4 ducks
- kosher salt freshly ground
- black pepper freshly ground
- 2 cups water hot
- celery sticks plus 1 celery stalk, chopped, small handful
- 1/2 cup shallot chopped
- 1 carrot peeled and chopped
- 2 leaves bay leaf
- 1/2 ounce dried mushrooms about a handful
- 1 teaspoon thyme dried
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 1 1/2 cups red wine
- 1 cup duck stock or beef stock
- 1 pound mushrooms such as button or cremini, sliced fresh
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 lice baguette cut into thick, crusty
- 2 tablespoons butter for finishing the sauce, unsalted
- duck liver pâté optional
- flat-leaf parsley for garnish, chopped fresh
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 500°F or its highest setting. Let it heat for a full 30 minutes. Pat the ducks dry with a paper towel, salt well inside and out, and then let sit at room temperature while the oven heats. In a small bowl, soak the dried mushrooms in the hot water to reconstitute them. When they are soft, lift them out of the water, squeeze them dry, chop, and reserve. Line a fine-mesh sieve with a plain paper towel, and pour the soaking water through it into a measuring cup. Reserve 1 cup of the soaking water.
- When the oven is ready, pat the ducks dry again with a paper towel, then smear with the duck fat or olive oil. Put the celery sticks in the bottom of a cast-iron frying pan or other ovenproof pan to serve as a rack for the ducks, then pour just enough water into the pan to cover the bottom, about 2 tablespoons. Place the ducks breast side up on the celery sticks. Put the ducks into the hot oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. At the 10-minute mark of roasting, baste the ducks with the juices that have collected at the bottom of the pan. After 15 minutes have elapsed, take the pan out of the oven and rest the ducks on a cutting board. (If you roasting teal, they will need to be basted after 5 minutes, and will need only about 10 minutes in the oven.) If you are roasting a Muscovy duck or other domesticated bird, transfer it to the cutting board after 22 to 25 minutes have elapsed. You want the breast meat to be rare and the legs a little undercooked.
- Turn off the oven. Let the ducks rest for 10 minutes, then carve them. Pour off the juices from the pan and set the legs and wings, skin side up, in the pan. Put the pan back in the oven. The carryover heat should be hot enough to finish cooking the legs and wings while you make the sauce. Set the breasts, skin side up, on the cutting board for now.
- Cut the carcasses into small pieces with heavy kitchen shears or chop with a cleaver and put the pieces in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot with 2 tablespoons of the duck fat or butter. Place over medium-high heat and brown the carcass pieces. Add the shallot, chopped celery, carrot, and rehydrated mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to brown. Mix in the bay leaves, thyme, and brandy and cook until almost all of the brandy boils away. Stir in the wine, stock, and the reserved mushroom water, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil.
- While the sauce is boiling, place a sauté pan over high heat. When it is hot, add the fresh mushrooms, shaking the pan as they go in. Let the mushrooms sear in the dry pan for about 4 minutes, until they give off their water. Add 2 tablespoons duck fat or butter, a little salt, and the onion and sauté over medium-high heat for about 6 to 8 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove the mushrooms and onions from the pan, reserve and wipe out the pan.
- Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan, place over high heat, and boil until reduced by half. While the sauce is reducing, set the duck breasts, skin side down, in the pan you cooked the mushrooms in. Turn the heat to medium-high to crisp the skin; you might need a extra tablespoon of butter or fat of things are too dry. Toast the bread slices (or fry them in duck fat or butter) and set aside.
- When the sauce is ready, remove from the heat and swirl in the 2 tablespoons butter. The sauce should have the consistency of thin gravy. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
- To finish the dish, give the legs a quick dip in the sauce, then arrange on plates. Dip the breasts into the sauce and arrange them, skin side up, on the plates. Spread the pâté on the toasted bread slices and give everyone some mushrooms. Pour a little extra sauce over the duck and garnish with parsley. Enjoy your taste of history!
Notes
- Salmis is often served with thick toasted bread slices that help soak up the rich sauce.
- A bold French red wine such as Bordeaux or Châteauneuf-du-Pape pairs exceptionally well with this dish.
- Including sautéed mushrooms on the side enhances the earthy flavor profile of the meal.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
1780kcal
(89%)
Carbohydrates
16g
(5%)
Protein
50g
(100%)
Fat
157g
(242%)
Saturated Fat
54g
(270%)
Cholesterol
305mg
(102%)
Sodium
420mg
(18%)
Potassium
1477mg
(31%)
Fiber
2g
(8%)
Sugar
4g
(8%)
Vitamin A
848IU
(17%)
Vitamin C
15mg
(17%)
Calcium
77mg
(8%)
Iron
11mg
(61%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 1780 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 1780kcal | 89% |
| Carbohydrates | 16g | 5% |
| Protein | 50g | 100% |
| Fat | 157g | 242% |
| Saturated Fat | 54g | 270% |
| Cholesterol | 305mg | 102% |
| Sodium | 420mg | 18% |
| Potassium | 1477mg | 31% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 848IU | 17% |
| Vitamin C | 15mg | 17% |
| Calcium | 77mg | 8% |
| Iron | 11mg | 61% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
12 reviews
Excellent
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