Duck Liver Starter

While the duck is baking I treat my friends with some spiced duck liver. Often there is not that much liver that comes with a duck, so you may have to add some extra if you like. Many food shops sell duck or chicken livers separately. This dish may be tiny but its definitively worth every bite.

a couple of duck livers (or chicken livers)
one small shallot
half a poblano
one teaspoon coriander seeds
one teaspoon cumin seeds
chili flakes
salt
one or two garlic cloves

lime juice
fresh cilantro

Chop the shallot and the poblano into tiny tiny pieces. Saute in plenty of butter on low heat until soft. In another pan, roast the cumin and coriander seeds on high heat until they start to pop. Remove from heat and crush the seeds in a mortar and pestle to a semi fine powder. Chop the liver into very small pieces. Heat up a pan with some olive oil. When hot add the spices with some chili flakes. Let the spices merge with the olive oil before adding the liver. Sprinkle some salt over and stir constantly until the liver starts to get color. Squeeze some garlic cloves in and cook for just a little bit more. Take off the heat and add some freshly squeezed lime juice and cilantro leaves. Serve immediately with some bread. Enjoy!

11 thoughts on “Duck Liver Starter”

  1. You cannot honestly be serious about using duck liver. It is so not done. Do a google search on the stuff and you’ll find out how cruel this is. More and more top restaurants have decided to not put it on the menu anymore, exactly for that reason. Please stop using it.

  2. Hi Rose,
    I think you have misunderstand my recipe. The duck liver you are talking about is Foie gras. Foie gras is a liver that have been specially fattened! In my recipe you should only use the liver you normally get when you buy a whole duck. They are tiny. I agree to think what kind of bird (or any meat) to buy. It should really be organic or free ranged!

  3. This is such a neat recipe! I am always wondering what to do with that one bitty chicken or turkey liver when I roast a whole bird. Now I know!! This is great. ; )

  4. Hi Renee,
    me too! I used to use all giblets for stock but always felt I must do something with the liver! 🙂

  5. Thanks Jonathan,
    this sure is a treat. A vegetarian friend of mine thought I should draw a plaster on the duck where the liver has been taken out 🙂

  6. Thanks Delishhh.
    I had something like it at an Indian restaurant (probably without poblano and with slightly different spices). They served it w/ Bhatoora bread. It was great!

  7. My husband and I had really good pate when we were in France. We always wondered how this delicious paste was made but never got around to researching a recipe. So this post was a nice find. I would just like some now with a slice of toast!

  8. Hi Sharon,
    this isn’t pate but it is for sure a great thing to have on a toast. Actually I will be making liver pate soon. Hopefully the recipe will be posted here.

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