Deep-Fried Duck with Plum Sauce
What’s wrong with a duck that is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside? Absolutely nothing. The preparation works best with a high BTU burner (30K or more) and a large pot with plenty of oil, but it can be done in the home kitchen as well. If you use a small pot, the duck will cool down the oil, so just do a little at a time to keep the oil from dropping below 350 degrees. Making certain that the duck is at room temperature before placing it in the hot oil will make it is less likely to cool the oil. The recipe specifies mallards…reduce cooking time by a minute or two for medium ducks and 2 to 3 minutes for teal. You can improve the sauce by adding in some chopped fresh ripe plums.
How to Deep Fry a Whole Duck — What You Need to Know
Deep frying a whole duck is more approachable than it sounds, but it’s not quite the same as deep frying chicken. Ducks are denser, fattier, and require a larger volume of oil to submerge properly. The key variables are oil temperature, duck size, and making sure the bird is completely dry and at room temperature before it goes in the oil. Wet or cold duck hitting hot oil causes dangerous spattering and drops the oil temperature dramatically — both of which hurt the finished product.
What Oil Temperature for Deep Frying Duck?
Start with oil at 375 degrees and maintain it as close to 350 degrees as possible throughout the cook. The duck will drop the temperature when it first goes in — that’s normal. A high BTU burner (30,000 BTU or more) recovers the temperature fastest. In a home kitchen on a standard burner, fry one duck at a time and give the oil a few minutes to recover between birds. A deep fry thermometer is non-negotiable here.
How Long to Deep Fry Duck?
For a whole mallard, 8 minutes in 350-degree oil produces crispy skin and juicy meat. Reduce cook time by 1-2 minutes for medium ducks like widgeon or wood duck, and 2-3 minutes for teal. The duck is done when the skin is deep golden brown and the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 160 degrees. Rest for 5 minutes before cutting.
Deep-Fried Duck with Plum Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 whole mallards skin intact
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup garlic powder
- 1/4 cup onion powder
- 1/4 cup salt
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- peanut or corn oil for frying
- 1 cup plum preserves
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger minced
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Instructions
- Pat ducks dry with paper towels. Combine flour with next 5 ingredients and season ducks with flour. Heat enough oil to submerge ducks completely. When oil is hot, about 375 degrees, but not smoking, add ducks, one at a time. Allow a few minutes between ducks so that oil can maintain temperature. Turn ducks over 1 or 2 times and remove after 8 minutes. To prepare sauce, heat plum preserves and applesauce in a small pan. In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients and then add to pan. Heat until it starts to thicken. Serve plum sauce on the side for dipping with ducks.