Grilled Duck Nachos
Ingredients (makes one 9×13-inch pan):
Duck
- 2 pounds duck breasts
- 1 tablespoon finely ground coffee beans
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Nachos
- Zest and juice of 1 large lime
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 6 ounces restaurant-style tortilla chips
- 1 915-ounce) can black beans, rinsed well and drained
- 1 pound shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican-style blend cheese
- 2 large jalapeños or reed Fresno chiles, thinly sliced
- Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
- Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
- Salsa, for serving
Also Works With: As is, this grilled duck nachos recipe is intended for dabbler duck species such as mallards, wood ducks, pintails, and teal, which are largely vegetarian. if you intend to use a diver duck species, which eats a lot more fish and invertebrates, make sure to discard the skin.
Like most Americans, I spent the better part of my life making nachos with ground meat. I did it that way because … well, it’s just the way that people always did it. This preparation gets away from that by using grilled, thinly sliced duck breast for the protein. I almost hate to mention this, because I don’t want to dissuade you from making this recipe, but you might end up liking the grilled duck so much that you skip the tortilla chips on your next go-around and just use the duck as a main course with some grilled veggies on the side. when cooking with duck breasts, make sure not to forget about the rest of the bird. Use the legs and the wing bones to make a stock, or you can braise them down and shred the meat for all manner of uses. You can even take the shredded meat and toss it in some oil, then fry it until it’s crispy and add it to your nachos.
Process
For the Duck: Score the skin of the breasts in a crosshatch pattern without cutting into the meat. Combine the coffee, salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne and cinnamon in a small bowl. Rub the coffee mixture all over the duck. Grill the duck skin-side down, covered, until the skin has rendered its fat and is charred in spots. (the more fat your duck has, the longer this will take, but a thin-skinned duck should only take about 4 minutes.) flip the breasts over and grill until desired doneness (127 Degrees Fahrenheit on an instant-read thermometer for medium-rare, 130 to 135 Degrees Fahrenheit for medium). Transfer to a cutting board skin-side up and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut in half lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise into short strips.
For the Nachos: Mix the lime zest into the sour cream in a small bowl. Spread half of the chips on the bottom of double layered 9 1/2 x 13 1/2-inch disposable foil lasagna tray, or a metal cake pan of similar dimension. Top with half of the duck, beans, cheese and jalapeños. Repeat the layering with the remaining chips, duck, beans and cheese, holding back the remaining jalapeños. Grill, covered, until the cheese is melted, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the grill and top with the remaining jalapeños, scallions and cilantro. Serve with the lime sour cream and salsa.
Enjoy your Grilled Duck Nachos!
This recipe is from The Meateater Fish and Game Cookbook available in the Sporting Classics Store.
From the host of the television series and podcast MeatEater, this long-awaited definitive guide to cooking features more than 100 new recipes for wild game, fish and waterfowl.
In this comprehensive volume, Steven Rinella gives step-by-step instructions on how to break down virtually every variety of North American fish and game in a way that is best for cooking, offers advice on which types of fish or game—and which cuts in particular—work best for various preparations, provides recipes and cooking tips from other renowned hunters and chiefs, and includes instructions for making basic stocks, sauces, marinades, pickles, and rubs that can work with a variety of wild game preparations. Readers will be delighted by Rinella’s personal stories, both of cooking and hunting, as well as his insights into turning the wild game he harvests into food. Buy Now
