One of my favorite ways to cook duck is probably also one of the easiest and fastest. My dad and I have made this together since I was a little kid – in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever made it without Dad around (well unless you count the one time I made them out of pheasant after we took a buddy of mine from Phoenix hunting).
These seasoned duck bites are nothing more than bite sized pieces of duck coated in a seasoned flour and fried in butter. They are like crunchy little steak bites. And let me tell you there is no better way to wrap up a day in the slough or in the field that sitting down with a glass of beer or in my case hard cider and a plate of duck bites and truly enjoying the bounty of the hunt.
These work well with any wild bird – we’ve made them with duck, grouse, and pheasant all with great success.
I don’t have a picture of what you need because it’s so simple.
- Duck breasts
- Flour
- Nature’s Seasons
- Butter
Start by slicing the duck breast into either strips or bite sized pieces. I like to serve this with toothpicks so they should be able to be eaten in one or two bites.
Now mix up some flour and a generous sprinkle of Nature’s Seasons in a large plastic ziploc bag. Add the duck and shake until coated. I like to add the duck in batches and gently shake between them so I don’t get a massive clump of duck, which is why you see some coated and some not coated duck in the picture.
Shake the excess flour off the duck. You could do this and go right into the pan, but I like to shake off enough for an entire batch so I can get them all into the pan at once. This is what they look like once they are coated.
Melt some butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the duck to the butter.
Flip the duck after about 2-3 minutes when it is golden brown on the first side. Continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes on the other size until both sides are golden. Remove from the pan and season with additional Nature’s Seasons.
Please, please, please don’t overcook the duck – it will get dry and it will be tough. You can serve wild duck that’s been properly cared for at a medium rare. I usually cook duck with this method to about a medium/medium well but if you ere on either side please ere on the underside. I find that if I cook over medium heat the duck is usually done when the coating is nice and brown.
And of course one of my dad & I’s favorite traditions whenever we cook together is to enjoy a couple ‘chef’s delights’. After all you want to be sure what you’re cooking is good before you serve it to the rest of the people at duck camp.
Everyone else at duck camp should consider themselves lucky we manage to save any of it for them! Enjoy.
- 4 duck breasts (from 2 ducks)
- 1 cup flour
- Nature’s Seasons, generous sprinkle about 1 t + more for finishing
- 4 T butter (feel free to use more)
- Slice the duck into bite sized pieces or strips.
- Mix together the flour and Nature’s Seasons in a large resealable plastic back and shake to coat.
- Meanwhile, melt half the butter over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet.
- Add the duck to the melted butter and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove from pan and season with Nature’s Seasoning to taste.
- Mel the remaining butter in the pan and repeat with second batch.
- Serve with toothpicks.
Made ring necks taste like teal!