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History
Confit is a preserve technique central to southwestern French gastronomy since pre-refrigeration days, when farmers preserved fattened ducks in their own fat for the winter. The Confrerie du Cassoulet of Toulouse requires confit duck as a defining cassoulet ingredient. Today most southwest restaurants either confit in-house or buy from Gers producers.
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Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 4 duck legs with skin
- 60g sea salt
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 kg duck or goose fat (enough to cover)
- Black peppercorns
Method
- Rub the duck legs generously with salt, garlic and thyme. Refrigerate 24 hours, then rinse and pat dry.
- Preheat oven to 120C.
- Melt the duck fat in a heavy ovenproof pan. Add the duck legs, they should be fully submerged.
- Cook in the oven at 120C for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat is fork-tender.
- Let cool in the fat. The confit keeps refrigerated for up to 6 weeks in the fat.
- To serve, lift a leg from the fat. Crisp the skin in a hot pan, 3 minutes skin-side down.
- Serve with potatoes sarladaise (potatoes cooked in the confit fat with garlic and parsley).
Tip from the editors. The duck legs must be fully submerged in fat. If short, top with rendered pork lard. The confit improves after a week in the fat.
Where to eat confit de canard
Confit de canard in Toulouse
Chez Navarre ★ 4.5
Chez Navarre is saint-etienne table d'hotes with shared long tables, adopted as a canteen by locals and missed by visitors who stick to capitole.
Why locals goSaint-Etienne table d'hotes with shared long tables, adopted as a canteen by locals and missed by visitors who stick to Capitole.
TipEat at the long shared tables; bookings essential, the locals adopt it as a canteen.
Restaurant Emile ★ 4.6
Restaurant Emile on Toulouse's pedestrian Place Saint-Georges has been the canonical cassoulet address since 1947, with chef Christophe Fasan in charge.
SignatureCassoulet de Toulouse with confit duck, Magret de canard, Foie gras maison
TipOrder the cassoulet pre-loaded with confit duck, not the all-pork version; ask for the second-floor terrace table on a warm evening.
Le Colombier ★ 4.4
Le Colombier on Rue de Bayard near Capitole is the cassoulet institution opened in 1874 as a bourgeois boarding house, recipe unchanged for a century.
SignatureCassoulet de Castelnaudary, Confit de canard, Pieces of beef
TipReserve at least two days ahead in winter cassoulet season. The dining room is half-locals.
La Cave au Cassoulet ★ 4.0
La Cave au Cassoulet is unfussy cassoulet specialist on rue peyrolieres, smaller than le colombier and genty magre and often missed by tourists.
Why locals goUnfussy cassoulet specialist on Rue Peyrolieres, smaller than Le Colombier and Genty Magre and often missed by tourists.
TipThe cassole is single-serve; do not order a starter if you intend to finish it.
More cities are in research. Want confit de canard covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.