Salted duck eggs
咸鸭蛋 xian ya dan: brine-cured duck eggs with rich orange yolks, Gaoyou style
Gaoyou in Jiangsu is famous for salted duck eggs with oily, deep orange yolks, and at the Dragon Boat Festival they are hung in little woven nets around children's necks before being eaten with congee or rice. At home they are simple: clean duck eggs left in a strong salt brine for about four weeks, then boiled. Cracked eggs are the risk; use only uncracked, very fresh eggs, keep the jar cool and always cook them before eating. The common mistake is too weak a brine, which lets the eggs spoil; it must taste as salty as the sea and then some. Chef's tip: from week three, boil one test egg each week until the yolk is as firm and rich as you like.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 12 fresh duck eggsuncracked; or hen's eggs, which cure faster
- 9 oz coarse sea salt
- 1 litre water
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns (optional)
- 2 star anise (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Bring 1 litre water, 9 oz coarse sea salt, 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns and 2 star anise to the boil, stirring until the salt dissolves, then cool completely. Some salt should stay undissolved at the bottom: that shows the brine is strong enough.
5 minStep 2: Wash 12 fresh duck eggs gently, checking each for cracks by tapping lightly; a cracked egg sounds dull. Throw away any cracked ones. Dry the eggs well.
Step 3: Put the eggs in a clean, sterilised glass jar and pour in the cold brine. Weigh them down with a small zip bag of brine so they stay submerged, and close the lid.
Step 4: Leave in a cool, dark place (below 68°F) or the fridge for 25–35 days. If the brine turns cloudy or smells bad, throw the whole batch away.
Step 5: To cook, rinse the eggs, cover with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes until fully hard-boiled.
10 minStep 6: Cut in half lengthways in the shell and scoop out with a spoon over congee or rice. Cooked eggs keep in the fridge for a week; raw cured eggs, out of the brine, for 3 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 130 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does salted duck eggs take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of fresh duck eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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