How to Cook Duck Eggs 10 Different Ways

Eggs must surely be one of the most versatile and popular of all cooking ingredients. They are boiled or fried for breakfast, used in cakes and pastries when baking and incorporated in many more substantial meals for lunch or dinner. There are so many ways in fact in which eggs can be cooked that their use in cooking need never be repetitive or boring.

One way in which many people neglect varying egg recipes, however, is in the type of eggs which are used. Chicken eggs are almost always the selected option but as this page hopes to show, duck eggs are equally adaptable and can be cooked in almost any way in which you would cook chicken eggs. Slightly larger than chicken eggs as a rule, duck eggs are packed with flavour and represent a whole host of new opportunities in the wider enjoyment of eggs.

Although the recipes featured on this page are not arranged in any particular order, the sequence does vaguely relate to the time of day at which they are most likely to be eaten. The earliest recipes are ideal for breakfast and the suggestions move on through possible lunch and dinner dishes.

Duck eggs are not always as widely available as chicken eggs. If you find yourself struggling to obtain duck eggs, depending upon your location, there are a few options you can try. First of all, consider trying a small shop or store, rather than a supermarket. The duck eggs featured on this page were all bought from a small local fishmonger's but butcher's shops may be another option. Farmers markets - or local farms if you live in a rural area - may be able to help you out. Still struggling? Submit the name of your city, town or village to a search engine together with the words, "Fresh duck eggs," and see what pops up!

Duck eggs must always be properly cooked. This is important with chicken eggs but even more important with duck eggs due to their slightly different properties. They should also be removed from the fridge to reach room temperature an hour before being cooked. An example of the egg being found to be undercooked is where a coddled or boiled egg is opened to discover some of the white still in clear liquid form. If you find a duck egg is slightly undercooked, either cook it further where this is practical or discard it and start over.

If sausage, bacon and egg is your idea of a hearty breakfast to set you up for the day, this is one recipe you should definitely try. The sausages and bacon are fried as normal but the duck egg is fried in a hole cut in a slice of bread with a drinking glass. Tomatoes and mushrooms complete this tasty ensemble, while HP Sauce is a recommended but optional condiment.

4 beef link sausages
2 rashers/slices of bacon
1 slice of bread
1 duck egg
1 medium tomato
2 medium closed cup mushrooms
Salt and black pepper
Vegetable or sunflower oil for frying

The sausages will take longest to cook so have to be first in the frying pan. Add a tablespoon or so of oil to a large frying pan and add the sausages (unpricked) over a low heat. Fry for ten minutes before adding the halved tomato, flesh side down and the mushrooms, stalks removed and cup side up. After five minutes, turn the mushrooms and fry for a further five minutes.

Use a drinking glass to cut a hole about three inches in diameter in the slice of bread. The circle of bread can be fried and served with the mushrooms and tomato, cooked for about two minutes each side. Just before the sausages are ready, add some oil to a small frying pan and heat. Lay the bread in the pan and break the duck egg in to a small glass or bowl before pouring it carefully in to the hole in the bread. Fry for three minutes before carefully turning and frying on the second side for a further three minutes.

Remove the sausages, mushrooms, tomato and bread disc to a heated plate. Cover with foil to keep warm. While the bacon could be grilled, in this instance it was fried in the pan vacated by the sausages for a couple of minutes each side while the eggy bread completes cooking.

Lift the bread on to a plate with a spatula and lay the bacon alongside. Place the sausages on top of the bacon and arrange the mushrooms, tomato and circle of bread as desired.

A boiled egg and toasted soldiers is not just for kids. This makes an incredibly simple yet tasty breakfast for all age groups and is ready to eat within minutes.

Place the duck egg in to a pot and add enough cold water to cover it completely. Put on a high heat until the water boils and then turn the heat down to reach a simmer. This soft boiled egg was simmered for four minutes.

Start making the toast when the egg is simmering. Butter it, half it and slice in to soldiers.

Lift the egg from the water with a spoon to an egg cup on a serving plate. Carefully cut off the top of the egg and arrange the soldiers in a circle. A little salt is all the seasoning which should be required before the soldiers are dipped and eaten one at a time.

The video below features Gordon Ramsay making scrambled eggs. This is the method largely employed in the recipe which follows, so watching this informative and enjoyable video first of all explains certain points, such as why the eggs are seasoned only at the end and why the pan is moved on and off the heat as the eggs are scrambled.

3 duck eggs
1 oz butter
1 tsp soured cream
2 oz smoked salmon
1 thick slice of bread
6 spears of asparagus (or as desired)
Chopped chives to garnish
Salt and white pepper

Smoked salmon has a bit of a reputation as being very expensive and a food to be enjoyed only by the rich. That need not be the case, however, and the smoked salmon here is offcuts which were obtained very cheaply in the supermarket. Begin this dish by roughly chopping the salmon and the chives and setting aside for later use.

The asparagus should be steamed for only about four minutes. Any longer and it will start to become soggy, stringy and pretty unappealing. The goodness will also start to be lost to the water. Add the asparagus to the steamer immediately before starting to cook the eggs.

Break the duck eggs in to a large saucepan. Add the butter and start your toast cooking before putting the saucepan on to a fairly high heat and gently working the eggs with a spatula or a wooden spoon. As in the video above, the eggs are taken several times from the heat while continuing to be stirred to prevent them overcooking. When the eggs are ready, stir in the soured cream and season with salt and white pepper before carefully folding in the smoked salmon.

Lay the toast and asparagus on the serving plate before carefully pouring on the scrambled eggs and garnishing with the chopped chives.

Coddled eggs of this type are eggs which are cooked by adding them to a small porcelain dish and simmering it in water. The principal difficulty you are likely to encounter when attempting to coddle duck eggs arises from the fact that egg coddlers are largely designed for chicken eggs. This means that the duck egg may be slightly too big to fit inside. Should you find this to be the case, simply ensure that the yolk is included and allow some of the albumen (egg white) to be sacrificed.

1 duck egg
A little butter
3 bread stick slices
1 clove of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt, white pepper and black pepper
Coriander leaf/cilantro to garnish

The water in which the egg is coddled should come about two-thirds to three-quarters of the way up the side of the coddler. The easiest way to measure how much is required is to put the empty coddler in to a pot and pour in the required amount of water. Remove the coddler and put the water on to reach a boil while you prepare your duck egg.

Break the duck egg in to a small bowl and season with a little salt and white pepper. Grease the inside of the egg coddler lightly with butter before carefully pouring in the egg. Tighten the lid to hand tightness only and very carefully lower it in to the boiling water. Duck eggs take slightly longer to coddle than chicken eggs so allow ten to twelve minutes, depending upon how runny you want the yolk. If you do take it out and it is underdone, simply put the lid back on and cook a little longer.

The bread slices should be toasted until golden on both sides. Rub the top of each slice with the peeled and lightly crushed garlic clove before drizzling with olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper and garnish on the plate with the roughly chopped herb.

Toasted sandwiches are quick and easy to make and the filling can be as versatile as you want it to be. A duck egg toasted sandwich requires next to no preparation time and a mere four or five minutes to cook.

Put your sandwich maker on to heat, per the manufacturer's instructions. Break the duck egg in to a cup or bowl and season lightly. In this recipe, the top and bottom crusts were cut off two slices of bread but this was purely to make them fit the toaster and the crusts should ideally be left in place. Butter the slices of bread lightly on one side only.

When the sandwich toaster is ready, lay one side of bread in place, buttered side down, and pour the duck egg carefully in to the centre. Lay the second slice of bread on top, buttered side up, and close the lid on the toaster. Cook for four or five minutes until beautifully golden.

Do remember that semi-liquid toasted sandwich fillings such as egg or cheese will retain their heat a lot longer than the toasted bread. Taking an immediate, unwary bite can therefore lead to painful burning of the inside of the mouth. It is best therefore to let the sandwich cool for two or three minutes before plating with an attractive scattering of freshly chopped herbs.

A hard boiled egg is a tasty component of a great many meals, particularly salads. When the egg is to be served cold, however (as in this instance), it can often be the case that an unsightly blue/green tinge forms around the yolk. The good news is that this is easily preventable, both with chicken and with duck eggs.

Put the duck egg in to a pot with enough cold water to see it comfortably covered. When the water boils, reduce the heat and simmer for eight to ten minutes only. Take the pot to the sink and run cold water in to it for a minute or so until the egg is cool enough to handle. Crack the shell all around by knocking the egg gently on a hard surface and peel. At this stage, submerge the peeled egg in cold water for ten minutes to cool it quickly and you will not get the discolouration. The egg can then be used immediately or covered and put in the fridge until required.

To prepare the rest of this meal, firstly toast a thick slice of bread. Lay it on a plate, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and top with a few slices of smoked salmon. Season with black pepper.

Arrange a generous handful of rocket/arugula beside the bread. Cut the duck egg in half down through the centre and lay on the green leaves. Add a spoonful of mayo and garnish with some salad cress.

2 duck eggs
1 oz cheddar or other hard cheese
1 tbsp vegetable oil
6 to 8 asparagus spears
2 oz butter
Salt and black pepper
Salad cress to garnish

Melt the butter in a small frying pan and add the asparagus tips. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook for about five minutes, shaking the pan gently but frequently to ensure even cooking.

Break the duck eggs in to a small bowl and lightly beat with a fork just until they are combined.

Put the vegetable oil in to a small omelette pan and on to a medium heat. Pour in the beaten eggs and gently draw the egg mixture in from the edges to the centre, just until the eggs begin to set. Continue to cook until the eggs are set almost but not quite completely all the way to the top. Season and add the grated cheese to one half of the omelette before folding the other half carefully over the top. The residual heat will melt the cheese and ensure the omelette is cooked to perfection in a matter of seconds.

Lay the omelette on your plate with the asparagus and scatter over the cress before service.

Steak, egg and chips is a popular combination, so much so that it simply rolls off the tongue. Normally, however, the egg will be a fried chicken egg, while here it is prepared to include a poached duck egg. The chips in this instance were prepared over the course of a couple of hours using the three stage method but if you don't have time for that, you can prepare them any way you choose, or even use frozen chips.

1 rib eye steak
1 large baking potato (if preparing own chips)
1 duck egg
1 medium tomato
4 or 5 small button mushrooms
Vegetable oil
White wine vinegar
Salt and black pepper

The debate about how rare or otherwise people like their steaks will rage on but this one is served medium rare. A little bit of vegetable oil is firstly brought up to heat in a frying pan. The steak is seasoned on both sides and fried at a high heat for three minutes each side. It is then transferred to a heated plate and covered with foil to rest, while the heat in the pan is reduced.

The tomato and mushrooms are added to the slightly cooler pan to fry while the egg is prepared and the chips are deep fried, either as the final stage of the three step method or otherwise.

Put a pot with about three inches of water on to the heat and add a generous splash of white wine vinegar. This helps the egg white to gather round the yolk. Break the duck egg in to a cup. When the water is almost but not quite simmering, stir it fairly firmly to form a whirlpool effect before gently pouring the egg in to the centre. The water should be kept just below a simmer for three to four minutes, depending upon how well cooked you like your egg.

Drain the chips on kitchen paper before plating them along with the steak. Lay the egg on top of the steak and the tomato and mushrooms where you can find room on the plate.

3 oz basmati or long grain rice
1 duck egg
1 tbsp frozen peas
1 duck breast fillet
2 pineapple rings (canned in own juice)
1 tbsp cashew nuts (unsalted)
Vegetable oil
Light soy sauce
Salt and black pepper

When making fried rice, it is essential to firstly cook the rice by boiling it in water and then leave it to completely cool. Wash the rice in a sieve under running cold water before adding it to a pot of boiling, slightly salted water. Simmer for ten minutes before draining and spreading on a plate. Cover with a plastic food cover and leave for an hour. If you are not going to use it immediately after that time, refrigerate it. Cooked rice should not be left at room temperature for a lengthy period of time.

The duck breast can be cooked while you are waiting for the rice to cool. Start by preheating your oven to 400F/200C. Lay the duck breast skin side up on a chopping board and pierce the skin several times with a fork. This will allow the fat to escape to the frying pan. Season with salt and black pepper and lay it skin side down in a cold, ovenproof (no plastic handles) frying pan. Put the pan on a low heat until you can see the fat escaping then turn up the heat and brown the duck breast on all sides. Transfer the frying pan to the oven for ten to twelve minutes.

Remember to use oven-protecting gloves when you take the frying pan from the oven and transfer the duck breast to a plate. Cover and leave to cool.

When the rice is cool enough to fry, cook the peas for three minutes in boiling water. Drain.

Add a little vegetable oil to a small frying pan and gently heat. Beat the duck egg in a bowl before pouring in to the pan. It will cook very quickly. Flip it over carefully with a spatula to cook the top then remove to a plate. Allow to cool slightly then roll it up like a cigar and slice.

Add more vegetable oil to a smoking hot wok and when the oil is also hot, add the rice. Stir constantly for a couple of minutes. If the rice was properly cooled and the wok is hot enough, it should not stick. Add the duck egg strands, the frozen peas and a good splash of light soy sauce. Stir for thrity seconds then transfer to a heated dish and cover to keep warm.

Roughly chop the duck breast and pineapple slices. Bring more oil up to heat in a wok and add the duck breast, pineapple and cashew nuts to stir fry for about a minute.

The fried rice was presented here by firstly being packed in to a clingfilm lined bowl and upended on the main serving plate. The duck, pineapple and cashew nut stir fry is added to a heated dish and served alongside.

½ green bell pepper
½ red bell pepper
½ yellow bell pepper
1 large garlic clove
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 duck eggs
2 oz Mexicana cheese
Salt and black pepper
3 or 4 fresh basil leaves to garnish

A frittata could perhaps be described as a very substantial, Spanish style omelette. Frittatas can be prepared with meat, poultry, vegetables, or just about any ingredient of choice.

Cut the seeds from the bell pepper halves and slice. Peel and finely slice the garlic clove. Add to a deep frying pan in which the oil has already been heated and stir fry over a medium heat for two or three minutes to soften.

Beat and season the duck eggs. Make sure the peppers are spread evenly in the pan before carefully pouring over the duck egg mixture. Cook for a few minutes until you can see that the eggs are almost set. At this stage, put the pan under a very hot, overhead grill to finish the egg setting process.

Roughly chop the Mexicana cheese (or hard cheese of choice) and scatter over the frittata. Put the pan back under the heat just to melt the cheese.

Slide the frittata on to a plate and garnish with the roughly sliced basil leaves.