Aromatic Crispy Duck
It takes a bit of advanced planning to put this recipe together, but it's very simple once you've got everything organised and well worth the effort. Hoisin or Oriental plum sauce make a more authentic accompaniment to this dish.
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Prep Time
15mins + overnight
Cooking Time2hrs 30mins
Serves4 to 6
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What you'll need
- 1 Simon Howie oven ready whole duck
- 1tsp chinese five spice powder
- 2tsp salt
- 2tsp caster sugar
- soft white pancakes
- shredded spring onions
- sweet chilli sauce
Putting it all together
- You need to start this recipe the day before serving. Wash the duck and place in a clean sink. Bring a kettle of water to the boil and immediately pour all over the duck to scald the skin. Cool slightly then carefully remove and dry thoroughly inside and out with kitchen paper.
- Stand the duck on a rack over a shallow dish or tray, rub all over with 5 spice powder and place uncovered in the fridge and leave for 24 hours to dry out.
- When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 170 C (fan oven 150 C fan oven, 325 F, gas 3). Mix the sugar and salt together and sprinkle all over the duck.
- Transfer the duck and rack to a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 2 hours, then raise the temperature to 220 C (fan oven 200 C, 425 F, gas 7) and cook for a further 20-30 minutes, until the juices run clear and the skin is rich brown and crispy. During cooking, you will need to carefully drain off the fat from the roasting tin every 30 minutes or so to prevent it over-smoking and burning. Drain the duck well.
- Just before serving, heat the pancakes as directed by the manufacturer. To serve, trim the crispy parts of the skin from the duck and cut into strips, discard any fatty pieces. Using 2 forks, shred the meat from the carcass, and pile on to a warm serving platter with the skin. Accompany with spring onion, cucumber, pancakes and sweet chilli sauce.
