Old-Fashioned Salted Duck Gizzards
「古法·盐水鸭胗」 · jiangsu cuisine · Nanjing
The salt-plus-Sichuan-peppercorn cure draws out the gamey compounds along with most of the salt, so the gizzards end up well seasoned but not overly salty. Because the pre-salting suppresses bacteria and removes off-flavors, no blanching is needed and little foam forms during cooking. The leftover cooking liquid is delicious — use it as a noodle topping, or dilute it with water, bring it to a boil, and add baby greens and tofu for a quick soup. The same technique works for duck legs, which is essentially the old method for salted duck.
Priya RamanSeattle home cook obsessed with South Indian food. I make dosa batter from scratch every Sunday and I'm slowly converting my whole neighborhood to cardamom chai. Ask me about tadka!Nutrition & allergens
No supported allergens detected from surveyed ingredients.
Some ingredients are not yet allergen-surveyed; this label is not exhaustive.
Per serving (4 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- Unknown
- Protein (g)
- Unknown
- Fat (g)
- Unknown
- Carbs (g)
- Unknown
- Sodium (mg)
- 1034.3(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.
6.0 piece
salt盐
0.42 oz
50.0 piece
4.0 slice — cut into coins-thick slices
Techniques you'll use
- Marinating ↗
Season protein ahead with soy, wine, and starch for flavor and texture.
- Simmering (dun) ↗
Gentle low-heat cooking in liquid until flavors merge and meat softens.
Steps
- 1
Step 1
Trim the gizzards: remove any excess sinew and membrane, rinse them clean, drain off excess water, and place them in a bowl.
✅ Done when: The gizzards are clean, free of sinew, and no longer dripping water.
Add a spoonful of Sichuan peppercorns, about 50 peppercorns.
✅ Done when: The peppercorns are in the bowl with the gizzards.
Add two spoonfuls of salt, about 12 g. This is far more than everyday cooking amounts — don't second-guess it; the explanation comes later.
✅ Done when: The salt and peppercorns are all in the bowl with the gizzards.
Massage and toss everything by hand until evenly coated. Just these two seasonings are enough to eliminate the gizzards' characteristic gaminess; the rest is up to time.
✅ Done when: The gizzards are evenly coated with the salt and peppercorns with no bare spots.
After about 2 hours, the gizzards in the bowl will have turned a rosy red color, and the salt on the surface will have dissolved and settled to the bottom of the bowl.
✅ Done when: The gizzards look rosy red and the dissolved salt has pooled at the bottom of the bowl.
The liquid at the bottom of the bowl is full of the gamy compounds the salt has drawn out.
✅ Done when: A pool of salty, gamey-smelling liquid is visible at the bottom of the bowl.
- 7
Step 7
Pour off the salty liquid, then put the gizzards together with the peppercorns into a pot. Do not use an iron pot — use stainless steel, clay, or glass instead. Key point: no need to rinse the gizzards with water; the high-salt environment has already fully suppressed bacterial growth. Pour the brine away completely, but keep the peppercorns.
✅ Done when: All the brine is drained off and the gizzards and peppercorns are in a non-iron pot.
Add cold water to the pot, just enough that the gizzards can barely float, then add a few slices of ginger.
✅ Done when: The water just covers the gizzards so they barely float, with the ginger slices in place.
Bring to a boil over high heat.
✅ Done when: The water is at a rolling boil.
Cover, reduce to low heat, and simmer for 15 minutes — a distinct aroma will escape through the gap in the lid. Then turn off the heat and, without lifting the lid, let the pot cool naturally.
✅ Done when: After 15 minutes a noticeable aroma comes from under the lid; the heat is off and the lid stays on.
- 11
Step 1130 min
About half an hour after turning off the heat, lift the lid and take the gizzards out to eat. If you're not eating right away, leave them in and transfer them with the liquid to a storage container; keep refrigerated and use within three days.
✅ Done when: The pot has cooled enough to handle after about 30 minutes, and the gizzards are tender and fragrant.
- 12
Step 12
With the salt cure and the long steeping, the gizzards come out moist and tender with a rich aroma — no gaminess at all, and instead the distinctive 'osmanthus fragrance' of salted duck.
✅ Done when: The gizzards are tender, aromatic, and free of any gamey smell.
- 13
Step 13
Slice the gizzards and arrange on a plate. A drizzle of sesame oil is a nice finishing touch. If they taste under-salted to you, add a few drops of light soy sauce to taste.
✅ Done when: The gizzards are sliced, plated, and seasoned to your liking with sesame oil or soy sauce.