Salt-crusted duck breast, Easy festive recipe

This stewing in the oven in the salt crust makes the meat ultra moist and tasty.

Pan-fried just to sear then baked in the herb-scented salt crust. I tell you everything about the recipe, which may seem impressive but in reality is very easy and quick. Always with this little pang in the heart when you open the salt crust I find. Surprise. Surprise…

Why cook in a salt crust?

Cooking in a salt crust is a culinary technique that allows you to stew food (meat, fish or even vegetables). It gives softness and concentrates the flavors. It is also cooking without any fat. No oil or butter added during cooking. In addition, fats and juices are absorbed by the salt crust. The cooking is also uniform.

How to make a salt crust?

Contrary to what its name suggests, salt crust is not 100% salt. Recipes vary but the main ones are often with a lot of coarse salt, a little less flour and egg white so that the crust holds together. Herbs or spices are often added for flavor.

The recipe that I am offering you here is not made with coarse salt but with fine salt. With a greater proportion of flour than salt. To this I add egg white, a little water and lots of dried rosemary (or Provence herbs depending on what I have). So it’s a bit like a very salty pie crust. In any case, this is the consistency and texture that we want to obtain. The meat, in this case the duck breast, is wrapped in a fairly thick layer, between ½ and 1 centimeter of this paste.

The main steps of the recipe

Preparing the salt crust

The salt crust is made with fine salt, flour, egg white and dried herbs (rosemary, thyme, mixed Provence herbs or any other dried herb of your choice). Don’t be afraid to be very generous, it flavors the meat wonderfully. When mixing everything, you will need to add a little water, I will not give you the exact quantity because it depends on the size of your eggs and therefore the quantity of white. Just note that you want to get a texture similar to pie crust. Once finished, you can form a ball and set aside. This step can absolutely be done in advance.

Preparing duck breasts

We only use duck breast meat, that is to say, having completely removed the layer of fat. Then the duck breast is put in the pan very quickly, just to sear it for 15 seconds on each side.

Finishing the salt crust

Then you spread the dough without stretching it too much, we want between ½ and 1 cm thickness, place your breasts in the center and wrap them. You will notice in the photos that I browned the salt crust with egg yolk as was left over but I am not sure that this is necessary.

Baking

Finally you cook for 10 minutes at 200°C. then let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature before opening the salt crust and cutting the meat.

Note that the meat can then cool quite quickly. Serve immediately. Little tip, put the serving dish in the hot oven, the duck breasts will cool less quickly.

What accompaniment to serve with?

I advise you to serve these salt-crusted duck breasts with a vegetable in sauce such as mushrooms in cream because the meat cooked in this way has no sauce or juice. You can also make a sauce of your choice separately. With cranberry or orange for example. Here you will find a selection of accompaniments for your slightly festive meals.

Where does this recipe come from?

This is a recipe that I have been cooking for a very long time. I know that at the time I adapted it from a chef but I have no idea who. At the time I watched a lot of Joël Robuchon’s show “Bon appetit of course”. Maybe it comes from there…

For duck lovers

For duck breast lovers, I have several other recipes on the blog. First of all, for the duck breasts. Marinated with a barbecue sauce taught during a culinary workshop by a Meilleur Ouvrier de France chef. And two others with a blackcurrant and/or cranberry sauce.

And also a recipe also from a Meilleur Ouvrier de France met during another culinary workshop (the life of a culinary blogger is very rich!), the butcher Romain Leboeuf with his ultra simple orange can.