Duck Confit Croquettes in Green Goddess Soup

Recipe and photos by Lily Morello

These croquettes make wonderful snacks for sophisticated soirée, or could be crowd-wowing appetizers with a nice aioli or figgy jam on the side. They also make for a fun way to bring a little extra heartiness to salads or soups by swapping out croutons for these crispy duck bites. For this recipe, they're served atop a healthy veggie-loaded green goddess soup. 

Ingredients for the Croquettes 

• 1 package (7 oz) Rillettes de Canard
  
• 1/4–1/3 cup potato starch
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2–3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable, for deep frying

Ingredients for the Soup

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 medium leek (about 1/3 lb), roughly chopped
• 1 tomatillo (about 1/4 lb), quartered
• 1/2 zucchini, roughly chopped
• 3 scallions, roughly chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper, plus extra to taste
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/3 packed cup parsley, chopped
• 2 packed cups spinach
• 6 sprigs tarragon, leaves only
• 1/2 packed cup basil, leaves only
• 4 tsp lemon juice
• 6 oz silken tofu
• salt, to taste
• 2 tsp creme fraiche
• 1–2 tsp chives, finely chopped 

Procedure

Assemble the croquettes: About 20 minutes prior to assembly time, stir together the contents of 1 package of Three Little Pigs Rillettes de Canard so that the duck fat is distributed evenly. Freeze for 20 minutes to make firm for handling.

Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of chilled duck rillettes and return the container to the freezer to keep firm. Shape the amount scooped into a ball. (Placing it in the center of some plastic wrap and using it to mold the rillettes can help make this process neater.) Place the shaped ball in the fridge or freezer. Continue until all the rillettes are shaped, storing each of the balls in the fridge or freezer after they are formed. (Makes about 12.)

Set up the breading assembly line by placing 1/4 cup potato starch, the beaten egg, and 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs each in their own shallow dish. Coat each ball of duck rillettes thoroughly and evenly in the potato starch, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Use additional potato starch and panko breadcrumbs as needed to bread all of the croquettes. Freeze prepared croquettes for at least 20 minutes, or up to overnight. 

Make the soup: While the croquettes are freezing, make the soup. Heat a medium pot on medium-low and melt the butter. Add leek, tomatillo, zucchini, and scallions, and sauté for about 8–10 minutes or just until the vegetables begin to soften, lowering the heat at any sign of browning. Add garlic and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and sauté until the garlic is tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add fish sauce and broth; simmer until everything is very tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add parsley, spinach, tarragon, and basil and stir to allow leaves to wilt.

Carefully transfer vegetable mixture to a blender. Add tofu and lemon juice. Blend until completely smooth. Check for seasoning and add salt if desired, blending again to make sure salt is fully incorporated. Set aside.

Fry the croquettes: In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat at least enough oil to exceed the height of the croquettes (about 1 inch deep). Working in batches as needed, deep fry the croquettes until the breading is golden-brown, about 1–2 minutes. Transfer onto a paper towel lined dish as they are done, to drain off excess oil. 

Prepare for serving: If desired, transfer the soup back to a soup pot and reheat gently on low. Pour into 2–4 bowls for serving. 

Top each bowl of soup with a drizzle of crème fraîche, fresh chives, and black pepper. Finally, add the fried duck croquettes and enjoy right away.

 

Notes from the author:

In this recipe, Rillettes de Canard becomes the savory, luxurious filling for adorable, crispy, and super addictive duck croquettes. 

Rillettes de Canard, or Duck Rillettes, are made by slow-cooking duck in a confit-style method until it is a succulent, tender, spreadable texture. That texture is also nice and malleable, which is what gave me the idea to roll them into little balls and deep fry them to make these croquettes. Because the duck rillettes are so flavorful on their own, that’s all there is to the filling for these bite-size savory treats, making them simple to make while so impressive at the same time. 

These croquettes make wonderful snacks for sophisticated soirée, or could be crowd-wowing appetizers with a nice aioli or figgy jam on the side. They also make for a fun way to bring a little extra heartiness to salads or soups by swapping out croutons for these crispy duck bites. For this recipe, I’ve opted to serve them atop a healthy veggie-loaded green goddess soup. 

This green goddess soup combines the fresh herbs of green goddess dressing with aromatics and some extra veggies to turn it into a bright yet cozy soup. Since all the ingredients get blitzed together in the blender to form a satisfyingly creamy texture without any actual cream (I used silken tofu instead!), this would also be a great way to use up veggie scraps that might be lingering in your crisper drawer from past cooking adventures. Really any veggie soup would serve as a lovely base for the real star—the duck croquettes!

Making these duck croquettes requires just a few simple ingredients and steps:

Prepare the duck rillettes: These handy little tubs of Three Little Pigs Rillettes de Canard come with a little layer of duck fat on top that you’ll want to get evenly distributed in your croquette filling. Start by popping open the lid and giving the contents a good stir so everything is well mixed. Then return the lid and pop the container into your freezer for 20 minutes to let the duck confit-style spread firm up and become easier to shape. Filling prep is done!

Shape the duck rillettes: Scoop about 1 tablespoon per croquette and roll into a ball. I did this by spooning the duck rillettes into the middle of a piece of plastic wrap and using that to help mold the spread into a ball shape. Return the container of duck rillettes to the freezer after each scoop to keep the texture firm and easy to shape. Then keep all the duck balls chilled in the fridge or freezer while you set up your breading supplies.

Prime with potato starch: The process for breading the croquettes requires an assembly station with one bowl each of potato starch, beaten egg, and panko breadcrumbs. First, coat the balls thoroughly with potato starch as this will be what really primes them for the breadcrumb coating. I tested this recipe with all purpose flour and cornstarch as well; cornstarch would work as a fine substitute if you are unable to find potato starch but potato starch resulted in the most even breading. 

Roll in egg: After the duck balls are coated in potato starch, roll them in the beaten egg. 

Breadcrumbs for the crispy exterior: After rolling in egg, the next step is to coat them all over with the panko breadcrumbs. I like panko-style because they create a nice airy, crispy breading, but you could also use regular breadcrumbs as a substitute.

Allow the breaded croquettes to set: Freeze the breaded duck balls for at least 20 minutes or up to overnight. (This down time would be a great time to make your green goddess soup!)

Deep fry the croquettes: Fry those prepared balls in an inch of heated neutral oil to turn them into golden crispy deliciousness! 

I was honestly amazed by how long these duck croquettes stayed crispy on top of the green goddess soup. That being said, if you do choose to serve them as part of a soup or salad, you will definitely want to wait until right before serving to add them, to maximize that satisfying crunch! What other ways could you see yourself enjoying these savory duck morsels?