Confit de Canard (Duck Confit)

Duck legs cured with salt and herbs, then gently cooked in duck fat until meltingly tender, finished crisp-skinned.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 3h
Total: 3 hours 30 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 4 duck legs (about 250g each)
  • 3 tbsp sea salt flakes
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves, torn
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns, lightly crushed
  • 800g duck fat (3 to 4 jars from supermarkets or butchers)
  • Boiled or roast potatoes and a green salad, to serve

Method

  1. Rub the salt over the duck legs. Place in a dish with the garlic, thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns, cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

  2. Heat the oven to 140°C (120°C fan). Brush the salt and herbs off the duck and pat dry with kitchen paper.

  3. Melt the duck fat in a saucepan, then arrange the duck legs snugly, skin-side down, in a deep casserole. Pour over enough warm fat to submerge the legs completely.

  4. Cook uncovered in the oven for 2 hours 30 minutes until the meat is very tender and almost falling from the bone. Let the duck cool slightly in the fat.

  5. Lift the legs out of the fat, letting excess drip off. Strain the fat and keep it for another use.

  6. Heat a non-stick or cast-iron frying pan over a medium heat and fry the legs skin-side down for 8 to 10 minutes until the skin is deep golden and crisp. Turn and warm through for 2 minutes. Serve with potatoes and a green salad.