4 Duck Dishes With Recipes From Gordon Ramsay and More

Gordon serves this crispy duck salad at Bread Street Kitchen in London. It’s a great way to use the duck legs if you cook the breasts separately and don’t have time to make duck confit or braised duck legs. His Southeast Asian–inspired vinaigrette features ginger, lime, and lemongrass to cut through the richness of the shredded duck meat.

Gordon says this five-spice crispy duck breast with black cherry glaze is “one of the most delicious duck dishes you can ever cook.” Duck has naturally fatty skin that melts flavor into the meat as it cooks, so always start with the skin side down. That way, the fat can render against the hot pan, and when you turn the meat, it will sear the skinless side the flavorful duck fat.

“You smell it, and you think it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas. I’m telling you, it’s that magical.” — Gordon Ramsay

Gordon seasons his duck breasts with Chinese five-spice powder, a mixture of star anise, cinnamon, fennel seed, cloves, and Sichuan peppercorns.

“We like to serve our duck breasts medium-rare,” Chef Keller says. “It’s the most tender at that stage. Rare is a little chewy. [If] it gets above medium, it starts to taste a little livery.” Pan-roasting has a longer cooking time than sautéeing, which allows you to crisp up the skin and render the fat of a duck breast while gently cooking the meat to achieve the perfect level of doneness. Chef Keller’s pan-roasted duck recipe takes its inspiration from the classic French dish duck à l’Orange, but uses duck breasts rather than a whole duck.

“A very popular Southern dish is beef liver and grits,” says Mashama Bailey, the James Beard Award–winning chef of The Grey in Savannah, Georgia. When thinking of how to put her own spin on this classic comfort food, Chef Bailey looked to her time in France. “I got to experience a fatty duck liver, which is called foie gras,” she says. “It’s really one of my favorite ingredients.”

“This dish is a really good example of my evolution. It takes a childhood memory, infuses it with some life experiences, and it gives you an end result that is very unique.” — Mashama Bailey

Duck (canard) pâté and mousse are popular in France, but Chef Bailey prefers to sear her foie gras and then use the drippings to make an onion gravy that speaks to her mother’s home cooking. Learn how to make Chef Bailey’s foie gras with grits for a special occasion at home.

Serve your duck with one of these classic accompaniments:

1. 1. Bitter greens: Both Gordon and Chef Keller like to serve duck with endive, a bitter chicory. Dandelion greens and frisée are other good options for balancing the richness of duck.
2. 2. Mashed potatoes: For an elevated take on mashed potatoes, try Chef Keller’s pomme purée.
3. 3. To drink: A light red wine like pinot noir is a classic pairing for duck breast, but Gordon likes to serve his dish with a tiki cocktail. Try mixologist Lynnette Marrero’s take on the Queen’s Park Sizzle.

Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Gordon Ramsay, Gabriela Cámara, Chef Thomas Keller, Dominique Ansel, Yotam Ottolenghi, Alice Waters, and more.