Pan Seared Duck Breast with Savory Blackberry Sauce
Ever wondered How to Cook Duck Breast? This Duck Breast Recipe will have you searing like a pro. It’s the perfect dish to impressed your dinner guests this holiday season… you may even impress yourself!
Have you ever seen a raw duck breast? Such a curious thing. A dark sliver of meat topped with a thick blanket of fat, sometimes just as thick as the breast meat itself. As you sear the breast, the fat gently renders away to a thin crispy crust, leaving a pool of “liquid gold” duck fat to save and reuse. Magically, as the fat renders, the breast plumps up to a succulent red meat sensation. …Possibly even better than a good beef fillet.
People often steer clear of duck because they don’t know how to cook duck breasts, and don’t want to mess with roasting a whole duck. What a travesty! Duck breasts are ridiculously easy to prepare and offer a luxurious fatty flavor that will have your dinner guests Oooooing and Ahhhhing. That makes it a brilliant dish to serves over the holidays, quick low maintenance cooking, BIG impact.
As for the rendered fat, DON’T THROW IT AWAY. Duck fat is highly regarded as a superior fat for cooking. It provides intense flavor, has a high smoking point, and is considered one of the healthiest animal fats. Some say it’s as healthy as olive oil.
Once you’ve finished rendering the duck breast, be sure to carefully pour the fat into a glass container and store in the fridge.
Last winter I seared duck breasts for a party, but was in a bit of a hurry. I removed the breasts from the pan and grabbed a bowl for the duck fat. Without thinking, I poured the fat into a plastic container. Immediately the boiling hot duck fat melted through the container and ran over my counter and down the cabinets! Standing there in stupor, tears welled in my eyes. NOT over the mess I had to clean up, but over the loss of the precious duck fat.
Yes, it’s that good.
How to Cook Duck Breasts:
Score the fat layer with a sharp knife reaching all the way to the breast meat.
Salt and pepper liberally. Then place the breast in a hot skillet, fat side down. Render the fat over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes.
Flip the breasts and sear another 6-10 minutes, depending on the size of the breasts. (These were 13 oz. breasts and I seared them 10 minutes on the fat side and 7 minutes on the breast side.)
Allow the breast to rest under foil while you make the sauce, then slice them thin and fan the slices on a platter.
Seared duck breast is RICH and needs to be paired with strong flavors. This duck breast recipe includes a savory-sweet blackberry pan sauce with bourbon and shallots. I added a side of mashed sweet potatoes to complement to flavors. Mmmmmm.
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Seared Duck Breast with Blackberry Pan Sauce
"How to Cook Duck Breast."
Ingredients:
2 ~ 12-16 oz. Magret Duck Breasts
2 shallots, peeled and diced
1/2 cup good blackberry jam
2 tsp. flour
1/4 cup bourbon
2 cups beef stock
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 Tb. fresh thyme leaves
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
Pat the duck breasts dry. Score the fat on the top of each breast, cutting down to the flesh.
Heat a large skillet over MEDIUM-LOW. Salt and pepper the breast liberally.
Place them in the skillet, fat side down, and render the fat for 10-12 minutes. A dark golden crust should form as the fat melts away.
Flip the breasts and cook another 6-10 minutes for medium-rare meat.
Remove from the pan and tent with foil.
Carefully pour the duck fat into a glass container to store for later use.
Raise the heat to medium, and add the shallots to the pan. Saute for 3-5 minutes to soften and brown.
Mix the flour into the blackberry jam. Then add the jam, bourbon, beef stock, red pepper and thyme.
Stir and bring to a low boil. Simmer for 5-7 minutes to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste.
Slice the duck breasts thin and serve topped with blackberry pan sauce.
Modern serving pieces from Villeroy & Boch.
More Dinner Party Recipes:
Stuffed Poblanos with Red Pepper Puree
Fried Calamari Salad with Caper and Lemon Aioli
Seared Scallops with Wilted Greens
Brined Rack of Pork ~ Tidy Mom
Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken ~ Recipe Girl
Salmon and Potato Pierogies ~ Cookin Canuck












Looks so professional, like what I would see in a fancy restaurant! Thanks for the tutorial. I can only imagine how perfectly your blackberry pan sauce and sweet potatoes compliment the duck.
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This looks so good. One of these days I gotta get around to cooking duck. I can’t believe I’ve never cooked, and have only eaten it once.
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I’ve had several recipes for duck pass through my kitchen but have never been able to find duck breasts. Whole duck, yes, but not just the breast. Now I’m on a quest. These look amazing. The pan sauce is the bomb. Your explanations and walk-through made me feel comfortable about the process and explained a lot (i.e., what the big deal about the fat is).
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I’ve never served duck, period. After reading your instructions, I know I could do this. Seems very simple when having guest for dinner. I’m going to start looking for duck breast in Oklahoma….I am sure it is here somewhere. Your photos are beautiful!
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GOOD. GRIEF. ALL. MIGHTY.
this looks ridiculously awesome.
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This is a tremendous recipe … and your commentary on rendered duck fat is inspirational … I have no plans for New Years Eve and can think of no other more special meal … thanks, Sommer!
Merry Christmas to you and yours this season!
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Ahhh, a blanket of fat! Just a thing of beauty!
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Your duck looks perfectly cooked! Love the crispy skin!
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I must admit that I’ve never been a big fan of duck, however THIS looks like it might just win me over!
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I have never prepared a duck breast, whole ducks yes, and my children just love duck. This is so beautifully prepared…gorgeous meal!
Happy Holidays
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Looks like a meal at a restaurant. I have never eaten it. Merry Christmas!
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Delicious! I’ve made duck breast at home, but not very often…I LOVE the stuff! Your directions and pictures are PERFECT!
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Duck prepared this way is my absolute favorite. And it is really is SO easy to make. Love this blackberry pan sauce. Wow!
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I love love love duck so much. This looks so good.
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I slow-roasted it last winter and loved the results. The fat didn’t get crispy (which I don’t eat, anyway) but the meat was perfectly medium rare all the way through – and no mess on the cook top LOL
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Looks great! I once did a duck breast story for Cooking Light, and I had no clue how to cook them prior to that. They are so versatile, and these looks great!
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I’m emailing this recipe to MIL. She adores duck!!
Happy Holidays Sommer!
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Mmmm good. You’ve convinced me; now dying to try it!
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Yes I have! (wondered how to cook duck). Beautiful dish and a must try on my bucket list. Merry Christmas Sommer!
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Your duck looks lovely. Nice sear, but nicely rare (medium rare) on the inside. And it seems to special and festive.
Hope you’re having a lovely holiday season, and a Merry Christmas!
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Love the step by step and have some lovely farm fresh duck breast in my fridge right now – and as you say “Yes, it is that good” – so, I must make this recipe, then, mustn’t i?
Merry Christmas, Sommer! There is definitely magic in the air! Best wishes for a prosperous and dream filled 2012!

XO
valerie
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Beautiful recipe for the holidays! Can I come you your house please?! Happy holidays my friend to you and your family
xo
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I love cooking duck breasts! The biggest problem I have is that they can be a bit hard to find – last time I wanted some for a dinner party I literally had to call 8 butchers/supermarkets before finding them. So worth it though! Great sounding recipe.
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I’ve eaten many a duck breast in my life; however, I have yet to try to cook one! I think I’m going to need to make cooking a duck breast one of my goals for 2012
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Duck is one of our favorite meats! Can’t wait to try this fabulous version with our wonderful Maple Leaf duck that we can get up here in Indianapolis. We’ve even gotten so brave as to make our own duck confit
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When I turned 15, my mom took me out for lunch at a fancy restaurant where I ordered the seared duck breast. It was so, so good, and I’ve since tried convincing my mom to make it at home, but she always said that duck breast was difficult to cook. I’ll show her this wonderful post and then her mouth will water like mine is right now. Love the step by step photos; so helpful.
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Duck is one of favorite things, and this recipe sounds fabulous.
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Sometimes you can find just duck breast in the freezer section by the turkey, cornish hen, etc. Two come in a little box and perfect for a couple. Whole ducks are expensive (around $25 each here in Maine), and the breasts cost about $8 and are generous. And yes, no one throw out that duck fat!!! You’ve never had a french fry ’til you’ve had them fried in duck fat. Duck fat on rye toast with a smidge of salt in the AM is delish! Don’t any of you remember your gramma having a container on the stove full of chicken fat, whatever fat that she would use to cook everything? That’s why her food tasted soooo good. Last month purchased 15 pounds of it through the web, rendered down, in buckets, use it for everything. It’s actually healthier than butter (google it, it’s true!!!). Now, if I can only find someone to “process” my 12 pekin ducks for me, apparently they are very difficult to defeather without destroying the skin, hence their price at market…
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