Spring is the season of pickling. Among the various categories of pickled delicacies, pickled salted duck eggs are loved by diners for their unique flavor and rich nutritional value.
In particular, the golden and mellow egg yolk can be easily poked to bring out attractive oil flowers. The taste is delicate and sandy, and it is even more memorable. Paired with a bottle of wine and a drink, it's really amazing.
However, I found that the traditional pickling method, which often involves soaking in salt water or wrapping in mud, is cumbersome and time-consuming, and the results of pickling are not good.
Today, I want to share with you the secret of pickled salted duck eggs that my family has used for 30 years, without soaking in salt water or mud, but ensuring that each duck egg is oily and sandy, and has a great taste.
First, the selection of materials should be exquisite
If you want to marinate high-quality salted duck eggs, you must start with the selection of ingredients. I usually use local free-range, herbivorous fresh duck eggs, which have strong shells, full yolks and rich nutrition.
When selecting, gently shake the duck eggs, and feel that there is no obvious shaking feeling inside, indicating that the freshness is high and suitable for marinating. Some duck eggs of poor quality must not be used, otherwise, it will take a lot of effort and spend money.
2. Dry pickling method
Unlike the common wet curing method (salt water soaking), my family uses the dry curing method. Here's how I pickled it:
1. Prepare the marinade: mainly refined salt, add an appropriate amount of pepper, star anise, bay leaf and other spices per 500 grams of salt and stir-fry until fragrant, cool and grind into powder. This salt mixture allows the eggs to fully absorb the flavor and also adds a unique aroma.
2. Duck egg cleaning: Wash the selected duck eggs with warm water and dry them. Make sure the surface of the eggshell is clean and free of impurities, which helps the marinade adhere better.
3. Spread the marinade: Spread the ground salt mixture evenly over each egg, with particular emphasis on the egg head (air chamber end). Then, one by one, place them in a well-sealed jar or crisper.
4. Seal and ferment: Spread a layer of plastic wrap on the lid of the jar or fresh-keeping box, and then close the lid tightly to ensure that it is sealed. Place in a cool and ventilated place and let marinate. In general, it is sufficient to marinate at room temperature for 25-30 days.
3. Key skills
1. Stir moderately: During the marinating process, every other week or a few days, you should gently turn the duck eggs left and right to make the marinade more evenly distributed and help the yolk to get oily and sandy.
2. Humidity control: If the ambient humidity is high, a layer of salt can be spread at the bottom of the altar to prevent duck eggs from deteriorating due to moisture.
3. Check in time: In the later stage of pickling, you can take out a duck egg and cook it, cut it to observe whether the egg yolk has reached the ideal state of flowing oil and sand. If it is not reached, the marinating time can be extended appropriately.
Fourth, eat delicious
The marinated salted duck eggs, after cooking, the yolk is attractive orange-red, shiny and moist, and when you poke it lightly, there will be golden oil flowers flowing out slowly. After the mouth, it is delicate, salty and fragrant with spices, full of sand, and makes people appetize. Whether it is accompanied by a meal or with porridge, it is an excellent choice.
My family has used the secret of pickled salted duck eggs for 30 years, abandoning the traditional method of soaking in brine and wrapping in mud, combining dry pickling with carefully blended spice salt, and successfully creating delicious salted duck eggs with oil and sand through exquisite selection of materials and accurate grasp of pickling skills.
This unique technique not only simplifies the operation process, but also retains the mellow flavor of salted duck eggs, which is worth trying for every friend who loves cooking.
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