Nanjing Salt-Water Duck
“Succulent duck marinated and poached with ginger and fragrant spices, yielding a tender and aromatic delicacy.”
The bite
Pale-pink duck flesh, cool, jellied at the skin with clear poaching aspic. No sauce, no glaze. The flavor is salt, star anise, and the duck itself — a clean meat taste with a faint wet-fragrant finish. Served sliced bone-in at room temperature. The good version stays moist where you bite; if the meat is dry or shreds along the grain, the duck was overcooked.
Where it comes from
A Nanjing specialty going back at least to the Six Dynasties period (3rd-6th century), with the modern recipe stabilized in the late Ming and Qing as Nanjing became known as the 'duck capital.' The name 'salt-water' refers to the brine — there's no sauce involved, only a controlled poach in water that's been used many times over and grown deep with previous ducks.
What makes it work
The brine is the heirloom — a 'master stock' (老卤) of salt, star anise, scallion, ginger, Shaoxing wine, kept and replenished for years. The duck is rubbed with hot salt, hung dry overnight, then poached in water just below boiling (around 85°C) — never bubbling. A boiled duck shrinks and toughens; the sub-simmer keeps the protein loose and lets the brine seep evenly to the bone.
On the Palate
What goes into it
Proteins
Vegetables
Herbs & Spices
Sauces & Condiments
How it's made
- 1
Marinate the duck with salt, ginger, and spices.
- 2
Poach gently in water with additional ginger and spices until tender.
- 3
Allow the duck to cool in the broth to absorb more flavor.
- 4
Slice thinly and serve cold or at room temperature.
- 5
Garnish with scallions for additional flavor.
