Duck Confit or Confit de Canard is duck that’s been salted, then cooked, then preserved in its own fat for a few weeks.

What is Duck Confit?

Confit is a term to describe the art of cooking in fat, water or sugar at a low temperature, with the idea of preserving it. This is one of the oldest methods of preservation; kept in a dark cool place, the confit can last for months and even years. 

First we cure the duck legs in some salt overnight, then we slowly cook it in duck fat. While it can be eaten at this stage, it’ll be immeasurably better if stored for a few weeks or even months.

What do you serve with Duck Confit?

Confit de Canard can be served in a number of ways; puy lentils and potatoes cooked in the same duck fat are traditional accompaniments and of course it’s a much loved ingredient in cassoulet.

We love it with some mashed potatoes and some side vegetables. The duck itself is strongly flavoured and on the salty side so we really don’t need much more in terms of flavourings.

Is Duck Confit easy to Make?

Duck Confit is a fairly easy recipe to carry off, but it’s also a pretty misunderstood one. Salting the legs is the first step in the recipe and quite often I find recipes calling for an inordinate amount of salt, resulting in meat that is far too salty in the end. I was taught to use just enough salt to coat the legs liberally, and this salt would have practically dissolved overnight.

I’ve mentioned in the past, that France and Italy were like second (and third?) homes for me in the 90s and it was during this time that I picked up many recipes, handwritten on papers, napkins, novels – you name it – complete with tips from the various cooks and chefs. Of course, having an Italian flatmate whose mum visited frequently, helped a lot too!

I learnt to make duck confit in a little village in South West France, not too far away from the Spanish border, the area is known for its duck confit, although you can find the dish all over France.

There are two schools of thought when making this confit; one vehemently prohibits any addition to the fat, whether herbs or spices, while the other quite loves the extra flavourings. I’m definitely in the second camp, a little rosemary, thyme and bay goes a long way in enhancing the final experience, in my opinion.

I shall leave that up to you though, a little experimenting is called for, n’est-ce pas? It’s an extremely handy recipe to have sitting in your fridge, ready to be served up in a jiffy when you have guests. If you store the duck legs in a sterilized jar and keep it in the fridge, it will last 3 months.

Handy Hints

Start the day before the duck legs are meant to be cooked.

All flavourings should be added after the salting stage, as we want the fat to be flavoured with them and also, you’ll just end up having to rinse all the herbs and spices you’re using!

Rosemary – go easy as it’s such a strong herb, you don’t want the rosemary being the overriding flavour.

The container you use to store the confit needs to be large enough and if you are certain that you will consume it within a month, then a simple thoroughly clean one will do. Any longer, then make sure that the container has been properly sterilized.

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