Crispy Duck Confit With Mixed Bitter Greens Salad Recipe

Crisp up homemade duck confit, and serve it with a bright and bitter salad for a simple weeknight meal that oozes Parisian bistro charm.

By
Sasha Marx
Sasha Marx
Senior Culinary Editor
Sasha is a senior culinary editor at Serious Eats. He has over a decade of professional cooking experience, having worked his way up through a number of highly regarded and award-winning restaurant kitchens, followed by years spent in test kitchens for food publications.
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Updated Jan. 29, 2020
20200107-duck-confit-46-vicky-wasik
Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Reheating and crisping duck confit in a nonstick skillet ensures that its delicate skin browns evenly and doesn't tear.
  • The refreshing bite of bitter salad greens tossed in a zippy vinaigrette makes for a perfect foil to the richness of duck confit.

If you go to the trouble of making traditional duck confit, then we owe it to you to offer some ideas for how best to serve it. For our traditional duck confit recipe, we like to keep the French classic bistro vibes going by serving it as part of a light meal, crisping up the duck legs and pairing them with a simply dressed salad of bitter greens. When you can't hop on a flight to Paris, this weeknight dinner might just be the next best thing. (Note that this recipe also works great with sous vide duck confit.)

Recipe Facts

Active: 10 mins
Total: 20 mins
Serves: 4 servings

Rate & Comment

Ingredients

  • 4 legs traditional or sous vide duck confit, brought to room temperature and gently removed from fat

  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) duck fat from duck confit

  • 1 pound (450g) mixed leafy bitter greens, washed and dried (see note)

  • Simple vinaigrette, for dressing the salad

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Gently pat duck skin dry with paper towels. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Add duck fat to skillet, and spread with a paper towel until no visible fat remains. Add duck legs to skillet, skin-side down, and cook, using a weight or small cast iron skillet to press down on the duck legs for even browning and crisping of the skin. Cook, checking and shifting duck legs occasionally to ensure even browning of skin, until skin is deeply browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully flip duck legs over, and continue to cook until meat is warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer duck legs to a plate or rimmed baking sheet.

    20200107-duck-confit-searing-vicky-wasik

  2. In a large mixing bowl, gently toss greens with 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45ml) of vinaigrette, using your hands to lightly and evenly dress greens, adding more vinaigrette as needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  3. Divide salad evenly between individual plates and top with duck legs. Serve.

Special equipment

Nonstick skillet, Chef's Press cooking weights (optional)

Notes

For the best salad, use a mixture of tender, delicate leafy bitter greens such as mustard greens, frisée, arugula, mizuna, and watercress along with more robust ones, such as radicchio, and endive.

Make-Ahead and Storage

This dish is best enjoyed immediately.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
510 Calories
42g Fat
9g Carbs
27g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 510
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 42g 53%
Saturated Fat 13g 63%
Cholesterol 128mg 43%
Sodium 4766mg 207%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 3g 9%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 27g
Vitamin C 21mg 105%
Calcium 218mg 17%
Iron 4mg 24%
Potassium 478mg 10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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