Dry Salted Duck Eggs

I’ve been meaning to get this recipe up but it kept slipping my mind. I wasn’t able to taste test it until a month and a half after making it. Salted duck eggs are a traditional Chinese dish that preserves the eggs in a salt brine, later steamed and to be eaten as a side dish (or seasoning for other recipes) with rice. The yolks, richly flavored now cured with salt, turn a gorgeous deep orange color. The yolks are often tucked into mooncakes, stuffed into zong-zi (sticky rice stuffed in bamboo leaves), minced meat dishes, and even for seafood. It is essentially the Asian version of Italian salt-cured egg yolks.

My favorite way of eating it is still with a bowl of congee, some fermented bean curd, sweet mantou bread, and maybe preserved bamboo or cucumber.

Unfortunately, commercially made salted duck eggs (which you can find in your local Asian supermarket) are often too salty—especially the white. It’s meant as a dish to help make rice disappear, and is generally eaten sparingly but sometimes because it’s so salty, it goes to waste, which I sought to fix.

As my muscovies get into the swing of the laying season, I often end up with more eggs than I know what to do with. These ginormous eggs have yolks that take up most of the space within it, and is perfectly suited for this recipe. This recipe uses pink Himalayan salt, which is less salty than regular table salt, creating a salted duck egg that isn’t as off-putting to the palate. You can use kosher salt as well. This is also a dry recipe—many salted duck egg recipes call for a watery brine, but I don’t know the correct ratios for it. My nanny (the same po-po who convinced me to go on an adventure raising and eating silkworm pupae) said the secret to extra dark colored yolks is to use a high alcohol dip, which I don’t know whether or not is true, but did it anyway. On second thought, it’s possible that it’s meant to help people remember to do it since alcohol can kill bacteria. Because I didn’t have Baijiu (which is apparently expensive and difficult to find in the states) or Vodka, I used Gin, all of which are about 40% alcohol by volume.

Before we start, I’m going to give a small lesson on eggs that will make understanding how this is done easier. When eggs are laid, a protective “bloom” (also called “cuticle”) made from protein covers it and seals the pores so bacteria can’t get through. It also makes it difficult for other things, including salt, to pass through. In the US, commercial egg farms are required to wash and sometimes pasteurize their eggs, which removes this covering and thus require refrigeration. It’s why fresh, unwashed eggs can be kept at room temperature for several weeks without going bad. If you start with fresh eggs straight from the duck like I do, you’ll need to take off this covering. I use a rough scrub sponge with soap and room temperature water. There are some concerns that cold water can cause bacteria to be vacuumed in through the pores during the washing process. Then I wipe them dry and can begin.

The eggs will sweat from the salt, which is normal.

Unfortunately… we ate them all before I could take a picture of the inside, so will have to wait until I finish making them this season to see.

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Ingredients

• 1 dozen fresh, washed duck eggs
• 2 cups pink Himalayan salt (or Kosher salt)
• 1 cup 40% ABV clear alcohol (Vodka, Gin, or Baijiu)
• Covered Glass Jar to hold the eggs

1. Dip each of the duck eggs in the clear alcohol, making sure to cover it. Hold it in the alcohol for 5-10 seconds.
2. Dip the duck eggs in salt until a coating of salt is uniform over the egg.
3. Gently place the egg into the bottom of the jar and repeat with the rest of the eggs, stacking it in the jar on top of each other.
4. Seal jar and keep in a cool, dry place. For minimum 5 weeks, 6-7 weeks best.
5. To serve plain for congee, steam eggs until well done (about 8-10 minutes.)