Make sure that the duck breast has reached room temperature right before cooking. Place the duck on a clean chopping board and score the fatty white duck skin lightly with a sharp knife.

Season the duck breast with a little pinch of pepper and salt on both sides. Heat the non-stick pan over high heat. There’s no need to add any extra butter or oil here, the fatty duck skin will release enough fat to bake the duck in! Add the duck breast skin side down. It will shrink a little the moment it touches the pan because of the heat but don’t worry about that.

Fry the duck breast for about 3 to 4 minutes over high heat. The scored skin will start to melt and turn into a golden dark brown color. Then flip the duck breast over and lower the heat to medium. Cook the duck breast on its uncooked side for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Turn off the heat and let the cooked duck breast rest for 10 minutes in the hot pan. I like my duck breast best when it is still pretty red and raw on the inside like a steak, almost rare but warm to the touch. Cook it longer if you prefer your duck meat cooked a little longer. Transfer the cooked duck breast onto a clean chopping board and carve it up into fillets. Here's my freshly cooked duck breast served over a delicious fennel escabeche…