I make excellent duck! Not meaning to brag here but this is truly a dish I’m particularly good at! Duck is one of the most beloved dishes in our home. And not only in our home; whenever there’s duck in the menu of any restaurant, we’ll definitely order it. Duck is part of the poultry family, it’s easily cooked –close to the much more common chicken- but it has the potential to transform into a special gourmet dish if the occasion arises.

I’ve gathered numerous variations of duck recipes in my cook books throughout the years. Most of the times I prefer to cook duck during winter, with fruits –especially forest fruits-, confit or ragu, in fresh salads, pasta, spring rolls.. The list goes on!

We’re making crispy duck with pancakes, veggies and plum sauce today. I didn’t come up with the recipe, of course, this is one of the most famous Chinese dishes. I’ve never been to China but I guess that wasn’t necessary since the best duck I’ve ever tasted was in London many many years ago. Unfortunately, I never managed to remember the name of the restaurant! Ever since, duck has become one of my favorite dishes and I’ve dedicated plenty of time mastering it!

Crispy duck is a simpler variation of the famous –for its taste, scents and preparation time- Peking Duck. Peking duck needs about two days to be cooked, after going through many different stages of cooking. They are these golden brown ducks you see hanging up to dry in various restaurants around the world.

Our recipe is much simpler but equally delicious. After experimenting with all kinds of variations, I’ve ended up with one that is quite simple and a certain success. It’s a combination of various recipes that I find ideal. It doesn’t require difficult to manage or bizarre ingredients but a few and simple ones and it combines sweet & salty flavors perfectly.

Our duck is marinated in soy sauce, grated ginger, Sichuan pepper, Chinese five spices, lime zest and toasted sesame oil. It needs to be left in the marinade for at least two hours but you can marinate it longer if you wish. You can choose to cook the entire duck, duck breast or legs. I usually prefer legs as they’re much more delicious and juicy and each leg is the perfect size for one portion. The great thing about this dish is that it’s served with pancakes and vegetables, usually thin spring onion and cucumber sticks, combined with plum sauce and soy sauce. It’s a fun and delicious dish.

Even though you can buy pancakes at the supermarket, I prefer the homemade ones. They’re also a lot thinner. You can make the usual pancakes we all make at home or the super thin and moist Chinese pancakes. They’re quite easy as well but a bit more time-consuming. I chose to make the classic pancake today.

If by any chance you end up with some duck leftovers (which would really surprise me), you can always store the meat in the refrigerator and add it to a salad or heat it up and serve it with noodles or rice the next day.