This was my first attempt at making an Asian-style duck and it was delish! It took a bit longer to cook than I had anticipated, so just as a note, make sure to allow for about an hour and a half of cook time. As my mom would say, this recipe is a little bit “fussy” so read it through once before starting. xo

What you need:

1/4 cup raw honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
Juice from 2 limes
2 Tablespoons mirin
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, grated (this is a lot of raw ginger and made the dish actually spicy! Feel free to add less)
1/3 cup marsala wine
2 carrots, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 duck legs, skin on and bone in
kosher salt for seasoning

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using a paper towel, dry off the duck legs then season with salt. Using a large stainless steel or cast iron skillet, sear the duck, skin-side down in the pan until crispy (about 10 minutes). A lot of fat will render off the duck, so no need to add any oil to the pan. Turn the duck over and sear for another five minutes. Remove duck from pan and set aside. Drain off 90% of the duck fat (save this! It’s wonderful to use later. Just store it in an airtight container in the fridge). Add the carrots and the onion to the pan and saute for about five minutes. Pour in the marsala wine to deglaze the pan and add the duck legs back into the pan. Place in the oven and set timer for 30 minutes. While the duck is roasting, make the ginger sauce by combining the first six ingredients in a sauce pan, bringing to a boil, and immediately lowering to medium-low heat, cooking for about 10 minutes to reduce. After the 30 minutes in the oven, turn the oven to 350, and pour half of the ginger sauce to the duck pan before replacing it back into a 350 degree oven for another 30 minutes. Add the brown sugar to the remaining half of the ginger sauce and stir to combine. Once the second 30 minutes is complete, remove the duck and pour the rest of the ginger sauce over the duck. Let rest for 10 minutes and serve over rice. The sauce and veggies will be crispy and very dark brown from the sugars caramelizing in the oven. The flavor is very concentrated and wonderful. My husband and I agreed that next time I would add more carrot and onion because they cook down so much. Also, next time, I’m going to try adding all of the sauce at the end, rather than cooking it in the oven at the halfway point. I’d love to hear how it goes, if you try it!

I’m trying to get better at writing it all down…

Crispy Duck with Sticky Ginger Sauce