How to cook wild duck so that it is soft and juicy in the oven

Wild duck meat is highly valued due to its usefulness and unusual taste. Wild duck on the table is a rare product, as it is almost impossible to buy.

Wild duck in the oven

More often, wild duck is prepared by hunters or those who were able to purchase it at the market. The peculiarity of the meat is its spicy taste. This is why it is so important to properly prepare the bird and marinate it. Due to the fact that wild ducks feed on fish, their meat acquires a specific taste.

To make wild duck delicious, you need to use proven cooking recipes. It is not recommended to prepare wild duck soups; they can be fried, stewed and baked. The broth can be cooked using duck giblets.

How to Prepare a Wild Bird

Like any bird, if it is not dressed, you need to pluck the feathers and remove the insides. Rinse the carcass thoroughly, both inside and outside. Cut off the paws, neck, wings. Dry the carcass with a napkin. The final stage of preparing wild duck is searing over a burner.

Residues of soot may remain on the duck and will need to be washed off. Searing will remove any remaining feathers from the carcass.

If the bird is purchased, you should skip these points. The duck will need to be washed, cleaned, if there are partial remains of feathers, singed. If you plan to bake the whole duck, it is simply dried and marinated. If you fry the duck in pieces, you need to cut it into portions. Rinse the pieces and dry.

There is nothing complicated when preparing the bird; it must be clean and gutted, according to the recipe. The entrails, heart, liver, and navel are removed. You can use them to prepare rich broths and pates.

The intestines are thrown away. The head, legs, and wings are fed to animals or duck soups are cooked. First courses have a specific taste; special recipes are needed for them.

By cutting up a carcass correctly, thrifty housewives do not waste anything in the kitchen, even in the case of game.

Bird species

There are several species of these birds. Each has its own characteristics. One type is suitable for frying, another - for stewing, the third - only for soup.

The following are the main varieties of wild ducks:

1. Mallard. The weight of such a duck reaches from 1 to 1.5 kg. Its meat is not as tough as other species. Mallard is suitable for both stewing and frying.
2. Teal weighs little. Total from 300 to 500 g. Also suitable for frying and stewing.
3. Diving duck. The most delicious of the diving species is the red-nose duck. This is the largest representative of this family. Its weight reaches 1.5 kg, the rest of the dives barely reach 1 kg. But the red-nosed duck has a fairly strong fishy odor. It must first be kept in the marinade.

How to remove a specific smell

Inexperienced housewives avoid wild duck because of its specific smell. If you cook it without pre-processing, the meat will taste like fish.

Some people like it, but others are discouraged from cooking duck meat. To avoid an unpleasant taste, you need to do the following procedure:

• Lightly simmer the carcass in boiling water for about 5 minutes, or place it on a baking sheet with water inside the oven. Turn on the oven for 7-10 minutes, turning the duck once. Under the influence of steam, part of the specific odor will disappear.
• Residual fishy odors are masked by marinating in special spices and seasonings. As a result, duck tastes no different from poultry.

Due to the natural value of the bird, its consumption will benefit the body. Adherents of hunting cuisine, having prepared their prey, will be pleased with the result. If everything is done correctly and not in a hurry, the poultry meat will be juicy, aromatic and not tough. The time spent on preparing game is justified and makes the hunter very happy.

If the duck is baked, it will not lose its golden crust. When fried, it will also brown. When stewed, the duck is saturated with its own fat, the meat becomes juicy and tender. The boiled or oven-aged duck is cooled, chopped or left whole.

Having dealt with the unpleasant wild duck smell, you can begin preparing dishes according to the selected recipes.

Cooking secrets:

• You can rid a duck of a specific smell in this way: pour cold water over the carcass and boil it. Soak the bird in the boiling liquid for about five minutes and then drain it.
• If you plan to grill the bird, place a tray under it in advance, where the juice and fat will drain during the cooking process. Baste the duck with this “sauce” periodically.
• Lingonberry and juniper jam perfectly harmonizes with wild duck meat.
• To make the meat savory, marinate the bird overnight or soak it in lemon water or wine.

Attention! Wild duck meat is difficult for our stomach to digest, so it should not be eaten often or in large portions.

What is the best way to marinate duck?

The main ingredient in pickling is salt. The whole carcass or pieces are generously rubbed with it. Salt gives meat not only flavor, but also makes it soft and dries out moisture. As for spices and seasonings, they are usually chosen according to individual characteristics - some like it spicier. For some, it’s more aromatic, while for others, black and red pepper in the marinade is enough.

Marinating duck

To get rid of the fishy taste, you can add seasonings with a specific flavor - ready-made mixtures, spices for wild duck. You can take the following fragrant herbs:

• basil
• rosemary
• tarragon
• sage
• caraway
• marjoram

Juniper branches go very well with the duck. If you put them in a marinade, the fishy taste will disappear, and the bird will take on a pleasant juniper flavor. In addition to seasonings and salt, you need to add vinegar or lemon juice to the marinade.

Modern housewives even add orange or grapefruit juice. Even if it is lime juice, it will not harm the duck, but on the contrary, it will add a piquant note. Before marinating duck, you need to know that it is a long process. If you need to cook game quickly, it is better to take poultry.

It will take 7-8 hours to marinate the wild one. For baking, the marinated carcass is placed in a sleeve or baking tray, covered with cellophane and placed in the refrigerator. It is worth noting that the carcass needs to be marinated both outside and inside.

The chopped duck is placed in a saucepan, covered with a lid and placed in the refrigerator. After standing for at least 7 hours, the bird absorbs the marinade, releases its juice and acquires a pleasant aroma. Salted out. The process can be compared to cooking shish kebab; the brighter the marinade, the tastier the meat turns out on the grill.

The smell of fish after such marinating is out of the question; the game will be incredibly tasty.

Let's complement the dish with apples

Let's cut up the duck. We already know how to do this. Divide the carcass into medium-sized portions. Let's prepare the remaining products - four apples, two tomatoes, three to four cloves of garlic, salt, ground pepper, seasonings intended for meat.

Sprinkle the duck pieces with pepper, meat seasonings, and salt. You can sprinkle the carcass with lemon juice. Let the bird marinate for a couple of hours. Then cut the apples into slices. Peel the garlic and chop it finely. Wash the tomatoes and chop them into slices. Place the pieces of meat in the duck pot. Add apples and tomatoes to them, as well as garlic. Stir. Bake the dish for two hours at one hundred and eighty degrees. Ready!

Cooking poultry in the oven

The pre-marinated duck is placed in a baking sleeve or wrapped in food foil. If you plan to cook several ducks at once, they can be wrapped together in a large piece of foil. Do not throw away the remaining marinade; it can be useful at the final stage of baking.

Duck with vegetables in the oven

The roasting time of the carcass depends on the size and type of wild duck. There are more than 100 varieties of them in nature. Large ones will take longer to cook, small ones faster. The cooking time is affected by the age of the duck - young birds cook faster, but with older game you need to tinker.

• The standard baking option involves keeping the carcass inside the oven for 35-40 minutes.
• Then you will need to cut the foil on top and twist it on its sides to form a basket.
• The open duck is cooked for another 20 minutes. Now you will need to check the readiness of the carcass.
• If the skin is well pierced and no bloody juice flows from it, the game is ready. Another very important point is to let the duck brown.

If a lot of juice forms in the foil, you can remove it with a spoon. Lightly pour the juice over the duck and bake until golden brown. The game baked in this way is sprinkled with lemon juice, covered with herbs and vegetables and served. According to the rules of wild duck, recipes for cooking in the oven do not involve anything complicated.

Wild duck goes very well with homemade marinades, baked potatoes or boiled rice. The whole duck is served to the table. To serve, it is cut into portions with special scissors.

If the wild duck is well baked, the meat easily comes off the bone and simply melts in your mouth.

Dietary hare dish

Judging by the reviews, hare meat is more affordable than elk or wild boar. In addition, it is very gentle and suitable even for small children. There are many different recipes for preparing this game. The most popular is hare meat with apples. It is noteworthy that this dish contains wine and is therefore intended for adults. Thanks to the successful combination of apples and wine, the dish has an amazing and unforgettable taste. To cook game, get the following products:

• Apples (6 pcs.). They should be dense and large. Otherwise they will be completely boiled.
• Onions (2 pcs.). It is chopped into rings.
• Red wine. For a kilogram of hare meat you will need 150 ml of alcohol.
• Ground black pepper (two pinches).
• Vegetable oil (5 tbsp is enough).
• Dried paprika (2 tbsp).
• Salt (2/3 tbsp.).

First of all, the hare meat is thoroughly soaked. For this purpose, place the game in a saucepan and fill it with water. The meat should stand for 12 hours. During this time, the water is periodically renewed. After soaking, the hare pieces are cut into several portions

It is important that they are not too small. Next, heat the frying pan and fry them in vegetable oil until a characteristic fried crust forms.

The dish itself is prepared in a cauldron or pan. Ground pepper, paprika and herbs are added to the container, and then water is poured in so that it completely covers the meat. Next, place the pan in the oven or over low heat and simmer for 90 minutes. Fry the onion a little in vegetable oil in a frying pan to make it softer. It is added to the container with the game along with wine and apples. Judging by numerous consumer reviews, any side dish is suitable for hare prepared according to this recipe.

Wild duck in a slow cooker

Modern technologies make it possible to prepare hunting dishes with less time. If the usual cooking of game in a cauldron takes a lot of time.

Wild duck in a slow cooker

In a slow cooker it cooks very quickly. The prepared pieces of poultry are placed in a multicooker bowl, where you first need to add a little vegetable oil. A lot of onions are laid out on top; they will give the bird juiciness, softness and a special aroma.

If desired, you can add pieces of carrots, sweet peppers or tomatoes. Garlic is added to the duck at the final stage, since its aroma will disappear during cooking.

Fans of spicy dishes can add a couple of pieces of chili pepper. Since the duck is marinated in the slow cooker, there is no need to salt it.

If there aren’t enough spices, you can add a little to your liking:

• Turn on the multicooker to stewing mode and forget about it, depending on the model of the kitchen machine for 1.5-2 hours.
• After this time, open the lid of the multicooker, assess the degree of readiness of the game, chop into pieces; if they are soft, the duck is ready.
• If the meat is raw, turn on the stewing mode again. This happens very rarely, when the wild duck is very old. Basically, one mode of the “Extinguishing” program is enough.
• Remove the finished pieces from the multicooker onto a dish or portion plates and serve with a side dish, herbs, and vegetables.

If there is a wild duck in the refrigerator or after a hunt, recipes for cooking in a slow cooker will help you quickly prepare a truly royal meat dinner. Game prepared according to this recipe can become your favorite dish not only for lunch, but also for a holiday dinner.

Many people will like game at a multicooker feast; after tasting the dish, guests will demand the recipe.

Soup recipe

It is best to cook duck in this way directly in nature; it is in such an environment that the meat turns out especially tasty. But you can also prepare an equally delicious soup at home.

Products:

• duck meat – 1.5 kg;
• onions - 2 pcs.;
• tomatoes – 2 pcs.;
• potatoes – 4 pcs.;
• carrots – 2 pcs.;
• salt, pepper to taste;
• pickled cucumbers – 2 pcs.;
• a bunch of green onions.

Cooking time: 3 hours.

Calories: 220 calories.

1. Cut the prepared carcass into medium pieces, place in a cauldron or pan with thick walls, add water and cook;
2. As soon as the broth boils, remove the foam, add salt and pepper, and then cook over low heat under the lid for 2.5 hours until done;
3. As soon as the meat is ready, increase the heat and let the broth boil again;
4. Place potatoes, onions and carrots (all peeled and cut into cubes) into the broth;
5. Boil the vegetables for 20 minutes, and then add finely chopped cucumbers and tomatoes to them. Cook for another 15 minutes;
6. While the vegetables are cooking, you can remove the meat and separate it from the bones. You don't have to do this;
7. Place the boneless meat in a cauldron and bring the soup to a boil again. Turn off the heat and pour into plates, garnish with chopped onion.

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Baked wild duck with apples

Pickled game is stuffed inside with sour apples. Simirenko, White Nalivka, and Antonovka apples are well suited for this purpose. You can use any sour apples. For piquancy, housewives often add a pear cut into slices:

• Sew up the peritoneum with thread or pin it with toothpicks. Cover the bottom of the duckling pan with foil or grease it with vegetable oil, and place the stuffed game there. Place in the oven for an hour and a half.
• Periodically water the wild duck with the juice formed in the ducklings.
• Adherents of hunting cuisine with a gourmet taste can add a sprig of tarragon to the duck roast. You can also pour lemon juice on top.

To get a flavorful side dish, place potato wedges around the edges of the game 20-30 minutes before it’s ready. Moreover, there is no need to clean it. Simply wash, cut into 4 pieces, add salt and bake. The potatoes will be saturated with duck juice and fat. Apples and spices will fill it with a special aroma.

This duck is served on a large platter, with game placed in the center and potatoes along the edges. Slices of ripe tomato and sprigs of basil placed around the edges will add bright notes to the dish.

In any serving, freshly cooked duck will conquer everyone with its taste and aroma.

A simple recipe in a duck pot

There is no need to cut up the game for cooking. The carcass is cooked whole, which helps the meat remain juicy.

Ingredients:

• salt;
• dry red wine – 0.5 cups;
• cream – 50 ml;
• wild duck - carcass;
• spices;
• apple – 2 large;
• onions – 2 pcs.;
• pepper;
• water – 0.5 cups.

Preparation:

1. Rub the game with spices, pepper and coarse salt. Marinate for three hours. Place in a frying pan and fry on all sides.
2. Slice the apples. The shape is suitable for slices or cubes. Chop the onion.
3. Move the carcass to the duck roaster. The back should be up. Place apples on all sides and sprinkle with onions.
4. Mix cream and wine with water. Water the carcass. Close the lid.
5. Transfer to the oven. Leave for two hours.
6. To ensure juiciness, periodically baste the game with the fat that is released. Before serving, be sure to dry the cooked carcass.

Useful tips

Wild duck with prunes

• They pluck the duck in the yard or on the balcony. If you do this in the kitchen, you should be prepared for the possibility that feathers may fly around the kitchen and there will be an unpleasant odor. This must be done carefully, put the feathers in a bag, and periodically wash your hands and the duck.
• When searing game over a fire, to avoid burning the skin, it must first be rubbed with flour or coarse bran.
• When cutting up game brought from hunting, you need to remove the shot, otherwise someone will get it when eating the duck. Eating duck with shot is unsafe; you can break a tooth.
• If there is very little time for marinating, you can not marinate it for a long time, but simply remove the top layer of fat and skin from it. Aesthetically, a duck without skin may not look very attractive. But this method will help you cook game without a specific smell in a short time. This tip will be very relevant when they want to cook a duck right away, directly during the hunt.

Thanks to the manipulations done, the hunter's catch will allow him to get enough of the wild duck prepared no worse than by professional chefs.

Cooking wild duck is presented in the video: