Duck’s eaten in Japanese cooking, and you will find a few typical Japanese duck dishes flavoured with soy sauce, mirin, and sake.
With this recipe, I’ve blended some more characteristically Japanese flavours with a touch of French flair: duck infused with some orange zing against the delicate combination of soy sauce, mirin, and red wine (instead of sake) in the background. It’s a real fusion of flavours, marrying the best of East and West.
For side dishes, some roast potatoes, nice and crispy on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside; and to balance out the richness of the duck, a rocket (a.k.a. rucola), orange, pear and walnut salad. Sweet, salty, and altogether delicious.
The trick with the roast potatoes? Take them out of the oven after about 25 minutes and give them a light mash before putting them back in to roast. That way they’ll come out crunchy on the outside and nice and fluffy on the inside.
This is a really easy dish, perfect for those last-minute dinner gatherings. My family love it, and I’m sure yours will too!
Follow the link below for my Rocket, Orange, Pear and Walnut Salad.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @recipescometrue on Instagram and hashtag it #recipescometrue.
Duck Breast with Red Wine, Soy, and Orange Sauce
Ingredients
Duck Breast with Red Wine, Soy, and Orange Sauce
- 2 duck breasts
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (100ml about half to one orange)
- 1/4 cup red wine (50ml)
- 1/4 cup mirin (50ml)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (50ml)
- 1/4 tsp salt
Roast potatoes
- 6 small potatoes
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil (tbsp=15ml)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Starting the Roast Potatoes:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-forced).
- Wash and pat dry the potatoes thoroughly.
- Place the potatoes in a roasting pan and coat with olive oil and salt.
- Roast for about 25 minutes (while the potatoes are roasting, the duck is cooked.)
Cooking the Duck Breasts:
- Pat dry the duck breasts and score 5 mm wide slits in the skin of the duck.Tip: Score the white skin only, so as not to cut through to the duck meat.
- Sprinkle with salt on both sides.
- Cut an orange in half, squeeze, and collect the juice.
- Add the orange juice to a saucepan over medium heat and simmer until the orange juice is reduced by around half and thickened (about 10-15 minutes)
- Add red wine and mirin in the saucepan and simmer for about 2 minutes.
- Add soy sauce in the saucepan and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat (leave aside for now).
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat without oil, then cook the duck skin-side down until golden brown (about 2–3 mins).Tip: Using tongs, check to make sure the duck breasts don't burn.
- Once a significant amount of duck oil is produced, carefully remove the excess oil and transfer it into a container.Tip: Duck oil solidifies as it cools, so pouring it down the sink can lead to blockages. It's best to collect it in a container, let it cool, and then dispose of it properly as solid waste.
- Brown the meat on all sides (about 1–2 mins).
- Place the duck skin-side down in the saucepan and simmer for 7 minutes, basting occasionally. Remove from the heat and let the duck rest for 10 minutes in the saucepan.Tip: The duck can be left to rest in the pan until ready to serve.
Finishing the Roast Potatoes, Making a Salad, and Plating the Duck:
- Mash the roast potatoes lightly and return to the oven for 10 minutes.Tip: A good mash with a wooden spoon will make them nice and crispy on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside.
- (Prepare a salad: Click here for my delicious Rocket, Orange, Pear and Walnut Salad.)
- Turn the potatoes over and cook the other side for another 5 minutes.
- Slice the duck and arrange on plates, and dress with the liquid from the saucepan (the red wine, soy, and orange sauce)
- Serve with roast potatoes and salad.
- Enjoy!
