🦆 Duck confit
Duck confit is duck leg salted with garlic and herbs, then cooked slowly in its own fat until the meat is meltingly tender. Before serving, the legs are crisped in a hot pan or oven so the skin turns golden and crackling. It is rich and savoury, typically served with potatoes, beans or a sharp green salad.
Diets
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 duck legs
- 500–700 g duck fat
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 sprigs thyme and 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
Method
- Rub the duck legs with the salt, pepper, garlic and herbs, cover and refrigerate for 12–24 hours.
- Rinse off the salt and pat the legs dry.
- Melt the duck fat in a deep dish, submerge the legs and cook in the oven at 140 °C for 2½–3 hours until very tender.
- Lift the legs out of the fat and roast skin-side up at 220 °C for 10–15 minutes until crisp.
How to make it lighter
- Drain the legs well on paper and leave the fat behind — most of the extra calories are in it.
- Pair with a large green salad or green beans instead of potatoes fried in duck fat.
- One leg is a full portion; half a leg with vegetables makes a lighter plate.
History
Confit is a preserving technique from south-western France, especially Gascony, where duck and goose legs were cooked and stored covered in their own fat to keep through the winter. Confit de canard remains a signature dish of the region and a bistro staple across France.
Count it in one photo
Point your camera at the table — Me Nutrition recognises Duck confit and every other dish, with calories and macros for each. Ate only half? Slide it.
Download on the App StoreSimilar dishes
Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →