Serves 2. Cooks in: 20 minutes. Difficulty: Easy.
Ingredients
• One double duck breast (400–550g) – ideally free-range
• Ras el Hanout spice mix (to taste)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt (preferably flakes))
Instructions
Duck breast is best cooked medium-rare, with a rosy centre and internal temperature of around 54–57°C (130-135°F). That’s where you’ll find the sweet spot between tenderness and flavour.
- Score the skin in a criss-cross pattern, about 2cm apart, taking care not to cut into the meat.
- In a small bowl, mix the Ras el Hanout with a few spoons of olive oil to form a paste. Rub this generously into the skin and meat. Then sprinkle sea salt flakes over the skin.
- Place skin-side down in a cold frying pan. Set over medium-high heat. Cook for 8 minutes without moving it, until the fat renders and the skin turns golden and crisp.
- Turn over and cook for another 4 minutes, then rest on a warm plate for 5 minutes (loosely tented or uncovered, I prefer the latter for crispy skin).
- Leave the pan on low, that duck fat is too precious to waste.
- Slice the duck breast across the grain on the diagonal, arrange on plates, and spoon over any resting juices.
- Finish with a drizzle of duck fat and a final sprinkle of sea salt flakes.
Notes & Tips
• Cold pan = crispy skin. Starting in a cold pan ensures you gently render the fat without burning it.
• Cut across the grain for tenderness, it shortens the muscle fibres and makes every bite melt.
• Don’t discard the duck fat, it’s gold for roasting potatoes or root vegetables on the side.
• Ras el Hanout is a warming North African spice blend, sometimes with anywhere from 10 to 100 ingredients! You can buy it ready-made, but I prefer to make my own. Over time, you learn which spices you favour and can create a mix that’s entirely yours. Mine includes 14, fragrant, rich, and perfect for many dishes throughout the week.
Best enjoyed with a glass of Hans’ silky, soulful Pinot Noir - and someone who deserves it.
– Therese