Mallard Duck

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A wild duck, suitable for one or two servings depending on size.

Brushed with oil and roasted at 200°C for approximately 50 minutes

and then treated as duck. 

Shooting season 1st September until the31st of January or until the

 21st of February if shot below the high water mark of spring tides

Hanging time 2 to 3 days.

Slow-Cooked Mallard with Red Cabbage, Apple and Port
We just love slow-cooked lightly spiced red cabbage. Over the years We have used different spices in varying proportions, but the best addition of all, We have discovered, is a buried cache of meat, usually pork, that turns it into a superb, warming meal in a pot. The gaminess of mallard is also well-suited to red cabbage, and the two cooked very slowly together make a deeply moorish autumnal dish. If you want to extend it further, add a few thick slices of belly of pork to the pot with the mallard (leave any rind on the belly pork for a sticky richness), and later on, an hour or so before the cooking time is up, tuck in a few meaty pork sausages that have been browned swiftly.
Ingredients Method
  • 2 mallard
  • 1tbsp sunflower oil
  • 15g butter
  • 1.5 red cabbages
  • 2 eating apples , peeled, cored and sliced
  • 1 large onion , sliced
  • 5tbsp light muscovado sugar
  • 60ml ruby port or fruity red wine
  • 2tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 whole star anise (if they are broken up, this is roughly equivalent to 16 petals)
  • 10 allspice berries, crushed
  • 0.5tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut each mallard into four portions using poultry shears or a sharp knife. Heat the oil and butter in a wide frying pan over a high heat and brown the mallard pieces in at least two batches. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 170ºC (Gas Mark 3).

Quarter the whole cabbage and halve the half cabbage. Remove and discard the cores, then shred thinly. Pile into a large oven-proof casserole along with all the other ingredients, except the mallard. Cook for 1 hour, then stir.

Now, bury the pieces of mallard right down deep in the cabbage, pouring over any juices that have seeped out. Cover the casserole, and return to the oven for a further 3 hours, stirring occasionally until the cabbage is blissfully soft and melting, and the flesh of the mallard is very tender. Stir once again, then serve steaming hot from the casserole, together with a big pile of buttery mash, or steaming hot polenta laden with butter and Parmesan.

Serves: 4


Crispy Duck Breasts on Bed of Cabbage, Bacon and Onion
These tender duck breasts have a doubly-crisped skin - first pan-fried, then glazed with honey and roasted in a hot oven. The contrast between crunchy skin and succulent meat is exquisite, especially served with juicy wild mushrooms. The fresh, light flavours of cabbage, bacon and onion are an excellent foil for the richness of the duck. A fruity sauce can also cut through the slight fattiness of the duck very well. For example, you can serve a tangy combination of lemons, oranges and redcurrants in Cumberland sauce as a colourful, zesty complement to the duck.

Ingredients

Method
  • 4 boneless duck breasts
  • 1tbsp vegetable or olive oil
  • 25g butter
  • 8 rashers of streaky bacon , cut into 2.5cm pieces
  • 2 onions , sliced
  • 1 small savoy cabbage, quartered and shredded
  • freshly milled salt and pepper
  • 4tsp clear honey

 

 

Preheat the oven to 220ºC (Gas Mark 7). Score the skin of the duck breasts quite heavily with a sharp knife. Leave only 5mm between each scoring line to end up with a criss-cross pattern across the breast. Be careful to score only through the fat and not to cut into the flesh. Season with salt and pepper.

Put some oil in a roasting tin and heat it on top of the stove. Lay the seasoned duck breasts, skin-side down, in the hot oil - be prepared for it to spit a little. Once the breasts are cooking swiftly, turn the heat down to medium and continue to cook fat-side down until the skin looks well-browned, almost burnt.

Turn the breasts over to seal them, then finish cooking in the oven for 6 to 10 minutes. When cooked, the skin will look dark and crispy - rather like trellis-patterned crackling.

While the duck breasts are roasting in the oven, heat the butter in a pan and fry the bacon until browned. Add the onions and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cabbage with 1tbsp of water and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, then season. (Cook the cabbage for longer if you like it quite soft).

Remove the duck breasts from the oven and spread 1tsp honey on top of each, then glaze under a hot grill. Let the duck breasts rest in a warm place for 5 to 10 minutes - this relaxes and tenderises the meat. (Be careful not to let them get cold.)

To serve, pile the cabbage, bacon and onion in a small mound on the plates and put a duck breast on top of each.

Serves: 4


Wild duck with port wine sauce

Wild duck has a superb flavour, far superior to farm duck. The Scots like to hang them to give them a 'gamy' flavour, about a week before cooking in cold weather; three days if warmer, when a greenish tinge on the thin skin of the belly will be seen, but this is optional. This recipe can be used for widgeon or teal, and as they are smaller, they will only need half the cooking time. All game birds should be thoroughly washed in cold running water; dry carefully; do not overcook. Remember, older birds can be quite tough. You may need to add thin sheets of pork fat over the bird if it is very lean; do not overcook.

Ingredients

  • 2 wild ducks
  • 4 rashers streaky bacon
  • 2 tblesps butter or oil
  • juice of I lemon
  • 8 tblesps port wine
  • salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper
  • 1 tsp. mushroom relish (optional) or
  • 1 tsp. mushroom ketchup (optional)
  • 2 level tblesps orange marmalade

Method

Cover breasts with bacon, put into roasting tin with fat or oil. Cook in oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 35 minutes. Before serving, remove bacon (use as garnish). Score breasts along breastbone 2 - 3 times. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour port wine and lemon juice over, return to oven for 5 minutes. Put the birds on warmed dish. Reduce pan juices on stove top with marmalade and mushroom relish. Flambé birds by pouring 2 tblesps warmed brandy over and lighting at table. Serve gravy separately.

Serves:  4 - 6.