Duck Prosciutto Recipe (2024)

Recipe from Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn

Adapted by Ian Fisher

Duck Prosciutto Recipe (1)

Total Time
10 minutes, plus 7 days' curing
Rating
4(200)
Notes
Read community notes

Consider using this cured duck, adapted from "Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing," by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn, as a garnish for salad; as a canapé, on a bit of toasted bread spread with Dijon mustard; or sautéed like pancetta. —Ian Fisher

Featured in: Just Add Salt: How to Make Bacon and Pancetta at Home

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Ingredients

Yield:About 48 canapé servings

  • 1whole boneless Moulard duck magret or Pekin duck breast, about 1 pound, skin on, split
  • 2 to 3cups kosher salt, more as needed
  • ½teaspoon ground white pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Weigh breasts individually so you can check their progress toward curing. With a sharp knife, score skin of each breast in a crisscross pattern. Put about 1 cup salt (a half-inch layer) in a nonreactive baking dish that will just hold the breasts without touching. Nestle breasts on top of salt, skin side up. Pour more salt over breasts so that they are completely covered. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 24 hours.

  2. Step

    2

    Remove duck from salt, rinse thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. The flesh should feel dense and its color will have deepened. Dust breasts with pepper on both sides.

  3. Step

    3

    Wrap each breast in cheesecloth and tie with string. Hang for about 7 days in a cool (50 to 60 degrees is optimal), humid place, like a garage, a basement or in an unlit fireplace. After curing, the flesh should be stiff but not hard throughout; the color will be a deep rich red. If they still feel raw in the center, hang for a day or two longer. Generally, dry-cured products are ready when they have lost 30 percent of their original weight.

  4. Step

    4

    Remove cheesecloth, wrap duck in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep several weeks or more.

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Acoquiner

Similar to the above but with all steps in the refrigerator. I put a duck magret in a ziplock bag full of kosher salt overnight in the refrigerator, then after rinsing cover all sides with pepper and put it back in the refrigerator wrapped in a dishtowel, for at least a week, but two to three weeks is better. Turn the duck from time to time. Absolutely delicious.

C Lewis

I cure duck prosciutto in the refrigerator using a half-gallon milk carton. After the initial cure, I remove enough of the carton top so that the breast fits inside. I then push a skewer through the carton and hang the breast from it. In a couple of weeks it is ready.

Amy

I use a recipe with juniper berries, white and black pepper, bay leaves, coriander, salt and sugar. Much better than just salt (which I have done). More complex flavours.

roger

no you cannot do that with poultry....

Marshall

Roger's concern is respected though I beg to differ. As a leading food safety instructor and chef of many years, now culinary instructor, I must inform you that duck is far different from poultry classifications that include chicken and turkey. First of all, it contains no salmonella. Secondly the bird is entirely red meat thus suitable for curing. For this reason we are able to serve the breast rare.

andreaborn

I've read that you can do it in a refrigerator; just need to figure out how to hang it. Some kind of rack, or suspended from a chopstick placed over a container (google for various homemade contraptions). For the timing, go by the 30% weight loss guideline.

Randy

Yes it is necessary; otherwise the salt will not be able to penetrate the fat and the meat below it well enough to accomplish the "cure" in the time specified. It is dangerous to attempt 'shortcuts' when curing raw meats because of the potential for bacterial contamination. Follow the procedures indicated; they are recommended for a good reason, not whimsy. FWIW, the cross hatching will become less visible after the duck has been dried in cheesecloth for a week as specified.

hxela

This sounds like "case hardening" where the humidity was not high enough during the cure time. The outside dried leaving the inside moisture trapped.

Glenn Talaska

Can the same method be used for turkey or chicken breasts?

Sharon

I can see them, it's the diamond shapes in the duck fat. Looks a little like fish scales.

Doug

I made this is a few years ago and it turned out perfect. I used a recipe that called for 1/4 brown sugar to salt and it added a little sweetness. Hung it in the kitchen in the spring. In Minnesota the temp was between 58 and 65 in my kitchen that time of the year.

Kylie

Hung it off a chopstick across the fridge shelves; left it for about 10 days before slicing-- delicious! Will make again, for sure.

George W Bang

It is hard to believe something so simple could be so utterly amazing. It is the sort of thing that seems almost too good to be true. Try it!

mjan

If you have a wine refrigerator, which is usually set between 50 and 60 degrees, use it for the curing phase. Just place a small bowl of water in the fridge while curing.

MELE

I use this a basis for curing any meat I choose (most often I cure pork belly for ramen recipes and pasta dishes). Easy but time-consuming, you just have to remember to check it. I put the hanging meat in a cabinet in the winter, and the fridge in the summer. And, to make sure everyone in the house ...knows what's hanging in the cabinet.

Sandy

Followed directions but it took 3 weeks to lose 30%. It was hard on the outside, difficult to cut, but it was delicious. Would curing in the fridge help with the toughness?

hxela

This sounds like "case hardening" where the humidity was not high enough during the cure time. The outside dried leaving the inside moisture trapped.

Marshall

Roger's concern is respected though I beg to differ. As a leading food safety instructor and chef of many years, now culinary instructor, I must inform you that duck is far different from poultry classifications that include chicken and turkey. First of all, it contains no salmonella. Secondly the bird is entirely red meat thus suitable for curing. For this reason we are able to serve the breast rare.

Thomas Cali

My biggest challenge was hanging. I never thought four tiny rare earth magnets would ever come in handy but they certainly did that day. I put the string between two of the magnets which tightly held the string. Two more above the glass and viola, hanging duck. Thank you to my daughter's boyfriend for the suggestion!

Kylie

Hung it off a chopstick across the fridge shelves; left it for about 10 days before slicing-- delicious! Will make again, for sure.

Jack

I did this and cured in the fridge for a little over a week wrapped in a cotton sack cloth.

Very tasty, however difficult to cut really thin even using a very sharp knife. Thicker pieces while delicious are just too rich. I trim a section of the fatty skin before slicing. Perhaps a short time in the freezer would make it easier to get thinner slices.

Cash money

I accidentally left the duck breast in salt for 48 hours. Is it ruined or will it just be denser/saltier?

neighome

How deeply should the skin be scored? All the way to the muscle?

neighome

I forgot my duck in the salt brine for a week. I think how deeply the skin is scored with be the least of my problems!

C Lewis

I cure duck prosciutto in the refrigerator using a half-gallon milk carton. After the initial cure, I remove enough of the carton top so that the breast fits inside. I then push a skewer through the carton and hang the breast from it. In a couple of weeks it is ready.

Joe

After literally years of curing meat, sausages, etc, this is a brilliant solution to the unwieldy task of how to hang a piece of meat in the fridge. I wish I'd thought of it. Apologies, but when someone asks "what's that?" in my fridge, I plan to say . . ""Oh, just something I kludged up."

Stephen Klein

Will this work with wild (Canadian) goose breasts, which have no fat?

Me

Both goose and duck breasts are lean but both have a layer of skin that is very fatty.

Paula

Any way of doing this in the Caribbean?

Frank

Yes, if you have access to a wine fridge, which will maintain the 45F to 55F temps needed.

Amy

I use a recipe with juniper berries, white and black pepper, bay leaves, coriander, salt and sugar. Much better than just salt (which I have done). More complex flavours.

Amy Roither

Has anyone tried this recipe with wild mallard breast, or speckled belly geese?

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Duck Prosciutto Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you know when duck prosciutto is ripe? ›

After curing, the flesh should be stiff but not hard throughout; the color will be a deep rich red. If they still feel raw in the center, hang for a day or two longer. Generally, dry-cured products are ready when they have lost 30 percent of their original weight.

Does duck prosciutto need to be refrigerated? ›

If the center of the breast still feels raw, continue to hang for an additional day or two. As a general rule, dry-cured products are ready when they have lost 30% of their initial weight. Step 4 - Remove cheesecloth, wrap duck in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep several weeks or more.

Does duck prosciutto taste good? ›

duck prosciutto, not only tastes great but it's also kosher. And it's also pretty easy, as far as salt-cured meats go. 15 minutes of prep and then a lengthy stay in your fridge gets you a terrifically tasty snack.

Can you eat cured duck? ›

Duck Prosciutto, or prosciutto d'anatra, is a delicious cured meat product made by curing duck breasts. It can be made a few different ways, two of which I will detail here. Duck Prosciutto is a cured meat product that many suggest as an entry level cured meat.

How do you know when duck is fully cooked? ›

All poultry should reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer. A whole duck or goose must reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F throughout the bird. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.

What do you eat with duck prosciutto? ›

The best part is being able to make homemade duck prosciutto year round that is lightly sweet yet rich, a little salty and perfect to serve with crusty bread and a glass of wine on a summer evening.

Can I freeze duck prosciutto? ›

Once cured, your duck prosciutto will freeze and hold up to three months without diminishing flavor, texture or taste.

Can you eat prosciutto straight out of the packet? ›

Hams are either ready-to-eat or not. Ready-to-eat hams include prosciutto and cooked hams; they can be eaten right out of the package. Fresh hams and hams that are only treated to destroy trichinae (which may include heating, freezing or curing in the processing plant) must be cooked by the consumer before eating.

What cheese goes with duck prosciutto? ›

Duck Prosciutto: Compared to a pork leg, prosciutto made from duck breast tastes bold and proudly meaty, and it comes with an ample slab of delicious duck fat. A lean cheese like Parmigianno Reggiano, which is made in part with skim milk, marries the duck's sweet and savory sides without loading on extra fat.

What is the tastiest duck meat? ›

Pekin duck is the most popular duck to eat. Pekin duck meat is known for its mild, satisfying flavor that easily adapts to a number of cuisines. It has lighter flesh and milder flavor than either Moulard or Muscovy duck, and is considered perfect for whole roasting.

What is the best meat for prosciutto? ›

Prosciutto is made from high-quality pork legs. The meat is covered in salt and left to rest for a few weeks. During this time, the salt draws out blood and moisture, which prevents bacteria from entering the meat (and is why it's safe for us to eat it "raw").

Why is it OK to eat duck rare? ›

Serving rare duck is trendy of late. Why is this safe but serving chicken not fully cooked is considered unsafe? Duck is technically a 'red meat' so eating it prepared rare is considered to be generally safe. However with all poultry there is a risk of bacteria not being cooked out when served rare.

Can I eat duck 4 days out of date? ›

For "use-by", which will often be found on perishable seafood, meat, chicken and dairy products, the food should not be eaten after that date. It is actually an offence for retailers to sell food past its use-by date. "Best-before" is a little different.

What part of a duck is edible? ›

Duck meat is eaten raw, cooked or dried and is lower in fat (23%) compared to store bought chicken (40%). People enjoy duck meat for its juicy texture and taste. The liver, gizzard, heart and eggs are also eaten.

How long do you age prosciutto for? ›

After the salting process, the pork legs are washed, seasoned by hand (often according to a secret family recipe), and left to dry-age at a controlled temperature for 14 to 36 months. It is the combination of salt, air, and time that gives prosciutto its sweet and delicate flavor.

How can you tell if prosciutto is still good? ›

But prosciutto can look fine while it has already started to go bad. If the process has gone far enough, the smell will be another indicator. The smell of spoiled or contaminated prosciutto will be more pungent going on rancid. Proper storage is also important.

Is all prosciutto ready to eat? ›

'Prosciutto cotto' is cooked and 'prosciutto crudo' is raw, air-dried pork (although safe and ready to eat thanks to the curing process). Italian prosciuttos are labelled according to their city or province of origin.

How long does it take to age prosciutto? ›

By law Prosciutto di Parma is cured at least 400 days (starting from date of first salting), and some may be cured as long as 3 years.

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