Duck Breast with a Raw Fennel Salad and Orange Butter Sauce

It’s important to score the duck skin well. It helps to render out the fat and crisps the skin well. The colder the skin is the easier it is to score, as the fat sets like butter when it’s cold. Place the breasts in the freezer uncovered, skin side up for 10-15 minutes. This won’t freeze the duck, but the skin will be a lot firmer and easier to work with.

Using a sharp knife, score the entire length of the breast in a diagonal pattern 5mm apart. Turn the breast over and remove any sinew, then leave the duck out at room temperature for 30-40 minutes. While the duck is coming up to temperature make your orange sauce.

Add the sugar to a saucepan on low heat along with the star anise and cinnamon, and watch carefully as the sugar slowly starts to liquidise. Gently tilt the pan to move the sugar but don’t use a spoon to move it. After a while, the sugar will start to change to a golden colour. Be careful at this point as it can go from golden brown to dark brown very quickly. If you prefer bitter flavours then you can let the caramel go slightly darker but we would aim for golden brown.

Once all the sugar in the pan is evenly coloured, add the chardonnay vinegar and a few splashes of orange juice and zest from your bowl. Be careful as this will bubble and splash a little. Bring to a boil and simmer until the caramel has fully dissolved. Reduce slightly until it can just coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and start to add the fridge-cold diced butter in 3-4 stages, making sure the last piece has melted before adding the next. Finally, add the orange segments and a pinch of salt to taste.

Shave the fennel at thin as possible on the Japanese mandolin, add the finely chopped spring onions and dress with a drizzle of olive oil, a splash of vinegar, some orange juice and a good pinch of salt. Mix well and leave to macerate.

Season the duck generously with salt. Place skin side down into a cold frying pan and bring it up to medium heat. The idea is to cook the duck 90% skin side down, as this help to give a really crispy skin but also avoids searing the duck on the more delicate inner flesh, keeping it more tender overall. The breast may naturally curl slightly in the pan, so when this happens, gently push the duck down using the back of a spoon to ensure that all of the skin is in contact with the pan.

After 5 to 8 minutes, enough fat should have been rendered from the skin to allow you to baste the underside of the breast. Do this continuously for a few minutes. You’ll notice that the colour of the meat changes as you pour the hot fat over. This will help to cook the duck from both sides, while focusing the more intense heat on the skin. After 3-4 minutes of basting the duck check to see how far away it is from ready. You should feel a slight spring of resistance when you touch the duck.

Remove from the heat, turn the breast over in the pan and baste for 30 seconds before removing from the pan. The breast will still be quite rare at this point, but it will continue to cook during the resting time and should be the perfect medium by the time you carve it.

To plate up, spoon your fennel salad onto a plate, half your breast or slice it across the length, and serve with the orange caramel sauce.