Walking around at my usual Sunday market, I passed by a stall that sells fresh duck. I wasn’t in the mood to buy duck that day but I saw a little unassuming sign that said, “DUCK EGGS, $5”. My heart skipped a beat but I didn’t grab the chance to buy it. We walked back to the car and I was really regretting it so I ran back and ended up buying two dozen!! They were gorgeous, different colours and natural i.e. with all the poop, feathers and straw on them! As soon as I got home though, I realised that I couldn’t eat two dozen duck eggs so I sent it around to four of my friends.
I always heard that duck eggs make great custards and I now understand why. Unlike chicken eggs, duck eggs have a higher yolk to white proportion. The yolks are beautifully rich and creamy and good yolks are essential in making GREAT custard. I scoured the internet to see if others blogged about duck eggs but was rather disappointed to find so few. Any Chinese person would be familiar with duck eggs because they often use duck eggs for preservation, using them for 1,000 yr. old eggs and sometimes salted eggs.
The first night, we just pan friend them with a touch of oil and I ate it with rice and some fried shallots (like you get in Malaysia/Singapore on noodles) and a squirt of Sriracha – divine! I have also hard boiled them but today, I decided to poach one alongside a regular free-range chicken egg. I tell you, I ate the chicken egg first and I am glad that I did because when I bit into the duck egg, oh man, you just cannot compare the two! The richness and deeply concentrated flavour of the duck egg was so much creamier and tastier.
How are they different? For one, duck eggs are larger than chicken eggs. Not only are the yolks larger, the egg white has a bizarre, almost rubbery texture that I find slightly strange. If you pan fry it, the white sets really quickly but the yolks take a bit longer so it’s better to cook it at a lower heat than you would chicken eggs. Be careful and don’t overindulge on duck eggs as one egg contains twice the amount of cholesterol than chicken eggs. But definitely, if you come across them at any time, they are definitely worth it.
Don’t be scared of quail, duck, goose or even Ostrich eggs! Next time I go to Barcelona, I am going to rent an apartment and cook one of those Ostrich eggs! 🙂
Comparing duck eggs to a chicken egg (far right). You can see the duck eggs are slightly larger and have a more transparent shell. I LOVE the blue eggs!
Desperately Seeking Crab 
I love these pictures- very rustic and wholesome looking. Nice post!
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Thanks SarahKate! Yes, it always looks more rustic with feathers, poo, dirt and straw on the eggs. I love that, it connects us to the earth more than eggs in a Styrofoam containers that are way too clean. 🙂
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Just had my first fried duck egg at the age of 53 and loved it.
Great taste and texture – had them (2) on a toasted bagel and wished I had plucked up the courage to try them before.
The wife says she is going to limit the amount we eat due to the high cholesterol, but they will become part of our diet in the future.
Thanks for your great post – enjoyed reading it.
regds Paulofski
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I just had my first duck egg experience recently. I bought my usual 1kg bag of apples at a roadside stall in the Adelaide Hills and there before me one lonely looking 1/2 dozen duck eggs. They had “Just been delivered” (to the shop and possibly by the ducks themselves!!). I asked if they were for sale and yes they were… for $2. The woman told me that they make for very light and fluffy baking and omelettes. As I’m not a great baker, we ate them simply fried on top of some lovely fresh olive and rosemary bread for lunch over Easter. I guess you could say they were my Easter Eggs as I managed to avoid chocolate all weekend! The “Easter Duck” does have a certain ring to it… 😉
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Katie, please buy me some duck eggs next time you are in the hills…the supplier at the Wayville market is no longer there.
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I have not seen any duck eggs at farmer’s markets recently. However I know of a Vietnamese grocery store on Hanson Rd called Seng Bangkok that regularly sells duck eggs.
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nice photos…….i like it….
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