Arroz de Pato

About This Recipe

Arroz de pato is one of Portugal's most celebrated rice dishes — a masterpiece of slow cooking and bold flavour. The duck is braised until fall-apart tender, its cooking liquid becoming the broth that cooks the rice. The dish is then finished in a hot oven where the rice forms a golden crust at the edges and the chouriço caramelises on top.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2duck legs
• 300 glong-grain rice
• 1 largeonion(chopped)
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 150 mlwhite wine
• 700 mlduck or chicken stock
• 1 pinchsaffron
• 100 gchouriço(sliced)
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 1 tspsmoked paprika

Instructions

1. 1

   Braise duck

   Season duck legs. Brown in olive oil. Add onion, garlic, wine, and stock. Simmer covered 1.5 hours until very tender. Remove duck; reserve stock.

2. 2

   Shred

   Strip duck meat from bones, discard skin and bones. Measure 600 ml of cooking stock.

3. 3

   Cook rice

   Sauté rice in same pan 2 min. Add saffron, paprika, and measured stock. Bring to a boil, cover, cook 12 min until almost done.

4. 4

   Combine and bake

   Fold duck into rice. Transfer to a baking dish. Lay chouriço on top. Bake at 200 °C for 20 min until rice is golden at edges.

Variations

• •

  Use whole duck instead of legs

• •

  Add diced carrots and celery to the braise

• •

  Top with sliced hard-boiled eggs

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat covered with a splash of water at 180 °C.

Frequently Asked Questions