Five-Spice Crispy Duck Lettuce Wraps
If waterfowl were more readily available, we would consume it each and everyday, some of us at the warehouse for breakfast, lunch and dinner! For many of us, these duck lettuce wraps would be part of a last supper if we could create the menu! The red meat of birds that spend so much of their lives in cold water is intense, succulent, and totally satisfying — even a few medallions will fill you. The skin and fat cap on duck are delicacies of the first order. The lettuce in these wraps offsets the strength of the duck flavors and the five-spice is one of our favorite flavorings for duck!
Ingredients:
- 1 duck, 5-6 lbs.
- 1 tbsp Chinese five-spice powder
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 carrots, julienne
- 2 cucumbers, julienne
- 1 bunch scallions, julienne
- 1 head of lettuce, pulled apart
- Your favorite plum sauce
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Remove duck from packaging and pat dry with paper towels and place on top of a rack in the sink.
Boil 4 quarts of water. Pour the boiling water slowly over the duck – you will see the skin tighten immediately, and a good amount of the fat will drain off into the sink. Allow the duck to dry out before you begin to cook it.
Season the outer layer and cavity of the duck liberally with Chinese five-spice, salt and pepper.
Place the duck on a roasting pan with a wire rack and roast, rotating every 15 mins for even browning.
After 30 min, reduce the heat to 350ºF. Drain off the rendered fat every 15 min and reserve it in a heat safe container for other delicious uses.
Flip the duck over and cook for 30 min.
Flip the duck again so the breasts are facing up and cook for another 30 min or until a meat thermometer reads 165ºF in the thickest part of the thigh. Let the duck rest for twenty minutes before carving into thin slices to fit in the lettuce wraps.
Top the lettuce wraps with the carrots, cucumber, scallions and plum sauce to taste and enjoy!