Salt duck and pickled prunes
Item 1 of 1
- medium
- 2
- 40 minutes
Jeremy Lee's salt duck makes the most sophisticated of salad toppings, particularly when paired with pickled prunes, fiery watercress and a crisp parsley crumb. The chef recommends using unpitted prunes for the pickle as these tend to be of better shape and quality, but you could substitute pitted prunes to make the process a little easier. Any leftover pickle would work beautifully with terrines, cold meats and (as Jeremy particularly recommends) a hearty roast pork sandwich.
First published in 2016
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Salt duck
- 1 mallard
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 sprig of thyme
- black pepper
Parsley crumb
- 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley
- 2 handfuls of white breadcrumbs
- 1 garlic clove
- sea salt
- black pepper
- olive oil
Pickled prunes
- 500g of prunes, unpitted
- 250g of redcurrant jelly
- 150ml of red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp black peppercorns, ground
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 slices of lemon peel
- 2 slices of orange peel
To serve
SAVE RECIPE
Method
1
The day before serving, prepare the mallard for salting. Cut away the backbone and wishbone from the mallard. Place a gentle pressure on the bird to flatten it slightly, then place in a medium dish
- 1 mallard
2
Sprinkle over the salt, ensuring an even spread across the bird, along with six turns of the pepper mill. Add the thyme and bay leaf to the dish, cover well and transfer to the fridge to marinate for 24 hours
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 sprig of thyme
- black pepper
3
Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Once the mallard has finished marinating, carefully lift it from the dish and place it into the water. Allow the liquid to return to the boil and simmer the bird for 2 minutes
4
Once cooked, use tongs to carefully remove the mallard from the pan and place on a baking tray or dish. Set aside and leave to cool
5
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Line a baking tray with baking parchment
6
For the parsley crumb, finely chop the parsley. Place in a bowl with the garlic, breadcrumbs, olive oil and seasonings and mix well to combine
- 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley
- 2 handfuls of white breadcrumbs
- 1 garlic clove
- sea salt
- black pepper
- olive oil
7
Pour the parsley breadcrumb mixture across the lined tray and bake in the oven for 5-6 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool until ready to serve
8
For the pickled prunes, combine the jelly and vinegar in a medium pan and soften over a gentle heat. Pit the prunes and add them to the pan along with the cinnamon, pepper, bay leaf and citrus peel
- 150ml of red wine vinegar
- 250g of redcurrant jelly
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp black peppercorns, ground
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 slices of lemon peel
- 2 slices of orange peel
- 500g of prunes, unpitted
9
Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring gently, then remove from the heat and pour into a clean container. Seal and leave to cool, then store in the fridge until required
10
To serve, remove the legs from the mallard and slice each in half. Remove the breasts and finely slice into even pieces, dividing the meat between serving plates. Add a handful of watercress to each plate, topping with a generous spoonful of pickled prunes garnished with the parsley crumb. Drizzle over a little olive oil and serve immediately
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