GALVESTON — In the coming weeks, the skies over Galveston County will be a flyway for migrating birds. Most of us will look at the formations of ducks and geese headed south for the winter and think about the changing seasons and nature’s rhythms. A lucky few will look at those ducks and think about dinner.
Duck dishes aren’t just for hunters, though. Whole ducks and boneless duck breasts are available in the frozen-food section of most local grocery stores, and duck is appearing on more restaurant menus than ever before.
Paul Jordan, executive chef at Gaido’s, recently made pan-seared duck one of the stars of the Pelican Club’s fall menu. The duck debuted recently along with several other new creations that bring a wider variety of meat to Gaido’s traditional seafood selections, including braised Kobe beef tenderloin, osso bucco and roasted quail.
“It’s one of my favorite additions to the menu, and it’s been even more popular than I had expected,” Jordan said.
“On these new dishes, we start down a familiar path and then take a left turn,” Jordan said. “We do that with all our dishes.”
Like many home cooks, Jordan sears the duck breast for a crispy skin but has developed an alternative method.
“Most people use high heat to sear it, but I start with the duck breast in a cold pan,” he explained. “As the pan heats up, the fat in the skin has a chance to melt off, and it gives the meat a wonderful juiciness.”
There is no white meat on a duck; even the breast is considered red meat, and is usually served with a slightly pink center. Other than the skin, which owes its crispiness to a thick layer of fat, duck is very lean and low in saturated fat.
Almost all the domestic duck sold in the United States is a variety known as Long Island duck, though it is raised on farms throughout the country.
Wild ducks, however, run a full gamut of tastiness, according to The Daily News’ resident outdoor expert, Capt. Joe Kent.
“Some ducks just aren’t as good for table fare as others,” Kent said, citing diving ducks as a bit too gamey for many palates.
Kent enjoys both hunting ducks and cooking them and is looking forward to a good duck season, both outdoors and in the kitchen.
“We had a heavy concentration of ducks last year, and I think there’ll be plenty again this year,” he said.
Some of those ducks are likely to end up braising in Kent’s oven.
“Years ago, I almost quit hunting ducks because I couldn’t find a way to cook them that I liked,” he said.
“I had never tasted a recipe for wild duck that was even halfway good until I was at a hunting camp in Louisiana, and they cooked them slowly and a little spicy.”
Whether wild or farm-raised, there’s a cooking technique for every duck and every palate.
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Joe Kent’s Slow-cooked Wild Duck
Kent usually cooks four to six wild ducks at a time in a large roasting pan.
Per Duck About 1/4 cup cooking oil 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon red pepper 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 clove garlic 1/4 of a white or yellow onion 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 3 tablespoons flour
Mix salt, red pepper and black pepper.
Massage ducks thoroughly with cooking oil.
Put Worcestershire sauce, a heaping teaspoon of pepper mixture, a whole clove of garlic and an onion quarter in the cavity of each duck.
Sprinkle ducks with flour.
Place ducks in deep roasting pan, and add enough water to almost cover the ducks.
Cover pan and cook at 350 degrees for three hours.
Larger ducks, such as mallards, should cook for four hours.
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Wild Duck Gumbo
2 wild ducks, skinned and cut up 1/2 cup cooking oil 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced 2 cups chopped onion 1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper 1 1/2 cups sliced celery 1 teaspoons minced garlic 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes 2 bay leaves 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 quarts water Hot cooked rice Tabasco sauce
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, brown duck in pieces a few at a time in oil. Remove and set aside. Discard all but 2/3 cup drippings.
Add flour to drippings; cook and stir over medium heat till brown, 12-14 minutes.
Add sausage, onion, green pepper, celery and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add next eight ingredients, mix well.
Add duck, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 60-75 minutes or till duck is tender. Remove duck. Cool.
Remove meat from bone and cut into chunks; return to pan. Simmer 5-10 minutes or until heated through.
Mix all ingredients (except duck breasts) in the crock pot, stirring well. Add the duck, coating it well in the sauce. Cook on high three to four hours, or until duck is fully cooked all the way through.
Remove duck breasts from sauce; let cool until it can be handled. Shred or cut up the duck, and replace it in the barbecue sauce in the pot. Mix so the duck is completely coated.
Serve on a toasted bun.
— Recipe courtesy of Maple Leaf Farms
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Grecian Duck
1 duckling (4 to 5 pounds) 1/2 cup black olives, sliced 2 stalks celery, chopped. 2 garlic cloves, quartered 1 1/2 medium onions, sliced thin 1 small can whole or sliced mushrooms 2 tablespoons butter, softened. 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 6 servings of cooked rice Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash duck under cold water, pat dry. Lightly prick skin with fork.
Sprinkle inside with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Discard giblets.
Combine black olives, garlic cloves, celery, onion and mushrooms. Stuff duck with mixture and tie legs together. Spread butter over duck.
Roast duck uncovered, basting with butter drippings in the bottom of roasting pan.
Cook two hours or until legs move easily at joints.
Remove from oven and baste with lemon juice.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return to oven and roast 10 to 15 minutes until golden.
Serve over rice.
— Recipe courtesy of Metzer Farms Duck and Goose Hatchery, Gonzales, Calif.
