Kamo Sakamushi (Sake Steamed Duck)

Two ingredients. That’s it. Duck breast and sake. This Japanese technique relies on time and method rather than a long ingredient list, and the result is some of the cleanest, most refined duck you’ll ever taste.

The process starts with salting the breast skin-side up and refrigerating for three hours. The salt draws moisture from the surface, which concentrates the flavor and firms the texture. Then the sake gets poured over the breast and the whole thing steams for just seven minutes. A quick blast under a hot grill crisps the skin in two minutes flat.

Slice it thin, about a quarter inch, and serve at room temperature. The meat should be silky and pink inside with crackling skin on top. This is meant as an appetizer, and the delicate sake flavor comes through beautifully without any competing seasonings.

Pro Tips

• Use a scant teaspoon of salt. Too much overwhelms the subtle sake flavor. This isn’t a cure, it’s a seasoning.
• Steam for exactly seven minutes. Oversteaming toughens the breast and turns it gray.
• The grill finish is brief. Two minutes, skin side up, just to crisp. Watch it closely because duck fat under a hot grill can flare.
• Let it cool completely to room temperature before slicing. Warm duck tears instead of slicing cleanly.

Variations

• Serve with a small dish of ponzu sauce for dipping.
• Use chicken breast if duck isn’t available. The technique works the same, though the flavor will be milder.
• Garnish with thinly sliced scallion and a pinch of shichimi togarashi for heat.