Greek pulled duck burger with spiced duck popcorn, apple and peach slaw, pickles and watercress

 

This rich, zesty Greek pulled duck burger features slow-cooked duck in a spiced marinade with fruit slaw flavoured with ouzo. The tender duck pairs beautifully with sweet apple and peach slaw, sharp dill pickles, peppery watercress and crispy spiced duck popcorn, creating a restaurant-style burger that’s perfect as a weekend centrepiece with wonderful contrast between rich duck and fresh fruity slaw.

By Maria Elia
From Saturday Kitchen Recipes

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This Greek pulled duck burger hits Nutri-Score D. It uses whole duck, salt, brown sugar, sherry vinegar, oranges, fennel seeds, cinnamon, garlic, olive oil, popping corn, sheep’s milk cheese and burger buns with peach, apple, ouzo and watercress. The duck is rich and fatty while the buns add carbs, making this Greek pulled duck burger indulgent. Treat it as a restaurant-style weekend centrepiece rather than an everyday meal, enjoying the contrast between rich duck and fresh fruity slaw.

Estimated nutrition (per serving, 6): kcal ~620–720, fat ~32–42g, saturated fat ~10–14g, carbs ~48–56g, sugars ~18–24g, fibre ~3.5–4.5g, protein ~28–34g.

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Method

Make duck brine overnight (prep ahead: 8+ hours)

1. Dissolve salt, sugar and vinegar in water. To make the brine, stir the salt, brown sugar, sherry vinegar and 1 litre/1¾ pints water in a saucepan over medium heat to dissolve the sugar and salt. This creates the base for your zesty Greek pulled duck burger marinade.
2. Add orange zest, juice, garlic and spices. Remove 6 strips of zest from the oranges using a vegetable peeler, add to the pan with the orange juice, garlic and spices, and bring to a simmer. The orange and spices give your Greek pulled duck burger marinade wonderful zesty flavour.
3. Cool brine and submerge duck. Turn off the heat and transfer to a container large enough to fit the duck. Add 2 litres of cold water and allow the brine to cool before adding the duck, pushing it down to submerge it. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight. Overnight brining makes your Greek pulled duck burger tender and deeply spiced.

Prepare and roast duck (cook: 4½+ hours)

1. Dry duck after brining. When you are ready to cook, remove the duck from the brine and pat dry, leave in a cool place for one hour to dry out. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Drying helps the duck skin crisp for your Greek pulled duck burger.
2. Prepare roasting tray with onions and spices. Place the Spanish onions in a roasting tray adding the garlic cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and orange juice and zest. Mix together the coriander, cumin, fennel seeds and chilli and sprinkle a little on the underside of the duck. These spices create the zesty Greek pulled duck burger marinade flavour.
3. Lay duck on onions and roast 4–4½ hours. Lay the duck on top of the onions and sprinkle the remaining spice evenly over the duck. Add 1.5 litres/2½ pints of water to the tray and cover securely with foil. Roast for 4–4½ hours, then check for tenderness. The flesh should be easily pierced with the point of a sharp knife. Slow roasting makes the Greek pulled duck burger tender and flavorful.
4. Crisp skin for 30 minutes. Remove foil, baste and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes to crisp the skin. Transfer the duck to a tray and leave to cool. Crisping the skin adds texture for your Greek pulled duck burger.

Prepare duck meat and sauce (prep: 15 mins)

1. Skim fat and reduce sauce. Carefully skim off the surface fat and set it aside. (If making ahead of time pour off the duck cooking liquor into a container, leave to cool and refrigerate overnight. The following day, skim off the solidified fat and set aside.) Remove the cinnamon sticks and orange strips and place the cooking liquor and onions in a small pan and bring to the boil, lower heat to a simmer and reduce in volume until the sauce has thickened. The reduced sauce intensifies flavour for your Greek pulled duck burger.
2. Pick duck meat and skin. Meanwhile carefully pick the crispy skin and meat from the duck into a large bowl. This gives you tender pulled duck for your Greek pulled duck burger patties.
3. Mix sauce with duck and form patties. Add the reduced duck sauce to the skin and meat and mix well. Season to taste, although it usually doesn’t need any seasoning since it’s been brined. Divide the mixture into six patties and place on one half of a tray lined with parchment paper. These patties are your Greek pulled duck burger base.
4. Reheat patties 10–12 minutes. Fold the paper over the patties, folding edges over to secure. Place in the oven and gently reheat for 10–12 minutes while you griddle the bread before serving, drizzled with some olive oil. Reheating keeps your Greek pulled duck burger warm and tender.

Make slaw (prep: 10 mins, chill: until serving)

1. Mix slaw ingredients and season. For the slaw, mix the shredded white cabbage, Granny Smith apples cut into thin strips on a mandolin, peaches cut into thin strips, apple vinegar, ouzo, fresh coriander leaves and lemon juice to taste together, season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper add lemon juice to taste. The ouzo gives your apple and peach slaw distinctive Greek flavour.
2. Cover and refrigerate slaw. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Chilling lets the apple and peach slaw flavours meld for your Greek pulled duck burger.

Make spiced duck popcorn (cook: 3 mins)

1. Pop corn with oil. For the popcorn, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the corn and cover immediately. Cook over a medium heat, moving the pan continuously until the popping has just about stopped, about 2–3 minutes. This creates crispy popping corn for your spiced duck popcorn.
2. Add duck fat and spices. Remove the pan from the heat and leave covered for a minute until the popping stops completely. Carefully remove the lid, add the reserved duck fat, fennel seeds and chilli and mix well. The duck fat and spices make your spiced duck popcorn rich and zesty.
3. Store popcorn if making ahead. The popcorn can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container. Popcorn adds crispy texture contrast to your Greek pulled duck burger.

Serve Greek pulled duck burger (finish: 5 mins)

1. Layer burger with duck, slaw, pickles and watercress. To serve, carefully lift the duck patties off the paper and serve sandwiched between bread topped with slaw, watercress and pickles. Serve with a bowl of the popcorn. This layers your Greek pulled duck burger with rich duck, fruity apple and peach slaw, sharp pickles and peppery watercress for perfect contrast.

Helpful tip: The key contrast in this Greek pulled duck burger is between the rich duck and the fresh, fruity apple and peach slaw. Don’t skip the ouzo in the slaw—it gives distinctive Greek flavour that makes this restaurant-style burger special.

• Can I use duck confit instead of whole duck? Yes; duck confit works well and saves time, but whole duck brined overnight gives the best Greek pulled duck burger flavour.
• How long does leftover duck patties last? Store covered in the fridge for up to 2 days; gently reheat for 10 minutes to restore tenderness for your Greek pulled duck burger.
• Can I make apple and peach slaw without ouzo? Yes; use extra lemon juice, but ouzo gives the distinctive Greek apple and peach slaw flavour.
• Is this Greek pulled duck burger suitable for any dietary requirements? The recipe is not specified as dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free or vegetarian, so check ingredients if you have dietary restrictions.