How To Cook Duck With Crispy Skin

Cooks often ask me: ‘How do you get crispy skin on duck breasts’?

Duck is delicious, versatile and very easy to cook, especially if you use my technique for cooking duck breast with crispy skin. It’s important to drain the fat off as it renders; set it aside to cool then refrigerate it to make delicious duck fat potatoes.

You’ll need:

sharp cook’s knife
heavy-based frying pan

Here’s how to cook duck with crispy skin:

Buy duck breast fillets with the skin on.
Remove duck from the fridge 30-60 minutes before cooking.
Pat duck skin dry with paper towel then use a very sharp knife to cut fine diagonal score marks through the skin in a criss-cross pattern, without cutting into the meat.
Salt skin generously.
Place in a small frying pan, skin side-down and set aside for 30–60 minutes to come to room temperature.
Place over medium-high heat and cook for about 6 minutes, pouring off the fat as it melts, until skin is dark golden (reserve the fat for cooking potatoes).
Turn duck over and cook for a further 5-8 minutes (depending on thickness), until internal temperature registers 55-60°C (130–140°F) on a probe thermometer for medium rare.
Remove duck to a plate, skin side up, and set aside in a warm place for a few minutes.

Now you know how to get crispy skin on duck breasts you can make easy duck à la orange (see video below), duck breast with porcini risotto, duck & peach salad, or this delicious warm duck & orange salad.