Veteran wild game cook Tiffany Haugen has a winning recipe for everything, even divers and sea ducks.
by Tiffany Haugen
Scott and I met in first grade. Our parents and grandparents went to school together. But Scott and I didn’t date until we graduated from college. Four months after that first date, we got engaged. We were married and living in Alaska’s high Arctic four months later. We worked as school teachers in a tiny Inupiat village of less than 100 people. We lived a semi-subsistence life in the Arctic through most of the 1990s. All our meat was what we hunted and fished for.
The first waterfowl I cooked were king eiders and common eiders. We ate scores of eiders over the years. As you can imagine, I had to learn how to quickly make these sea ducks taste good.
The trick with cooking diving ducks is first to clean all bloodshot areas from the meat. Next, soak the breasts in lightly salted water or milk for 8-12 hours in the refrigerator. Saltwater and milk help draw out the blood, where the strong and unpleasant flavor originates. The higher the meat quality at the start, the better the recipe.
This sweet, caramelized recipe is a big hit in our family. We’ve shared it with many friends who couldn’t believe they were eating ducks, let alone diving and even sea ducks. Earlier this season, I gave the recipe to a friend who was a guide. He said he uses it on all his ducks, and his family has no idea if they’re eating mallards, scaup, or scoters; his kids love it. As for the legs and thighs, save a bunch and cook them in a Crock Pot or Instant Pot.
What You Need
- 4 duck breasts (about a pound)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon garlic, puréed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive or coconut oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- Chives or green onion and chili peppers for garnish if desired
The Directions
Mix brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, garlic, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Slice breasts into thin strips across the grain and add to the brine. Refrigerate sliced duck strips in the brine 4-8 hours.
In a large skillet, sauté onions over medium-high heat in olive or coconut oil for 2-3 minutes. Push onions aside and add marinated duck strips to the pan. Spread the meat out in a single layer. Once the meat begins to brown, turn it over and brown the other side.
Be careful not to overcook diving ducks, as the flavor will become stronger the more it’s cooked. This is where many cooks make the mistake of thinking they can “cook out the gaminess” of ducks and other wild game. Once browned, mix meat with onions. Serve over rice and garnish with chives or green onions and hot peppers.
Note: To order signed copies of Tiffany Haugen’s popular book, Cooking Game Birds, visit scotthaugen.com for this and other titles.
