Donal's Family Kitchen45 Minutes

Hoisin Duck Lettuce Wraps

Name: Hoisin Duck Lettuce Wraps
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 confit duck legs; 5cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 tbsp honey; 2 tbsp dark soy sauce; 3 tbsp light soy sauce; 2 tbsp hoisin sauce, plus extra to serve; 1 tsp Chinese five-spice; 2 heads of baby gem lettuce; ½ cucumber, peeled, deseeded and sliced into thin batons; 1 small carrot, sliced into strips; 4 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced and dropped into iced water; 1 red chilli, thinly sliced; Small handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves; 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

The skin of the duck once crisped is really tasty and adds so much texture and flavour to these lettuce cups. If you lightly bash the toasted sesame seeds before scattering them over it’ll release even more of their flavour.

Donal SkehanFrom the series · Donal's Family Kitchen

45 min totalServes 4Medium

Time45 min

Serves4

SkillMedium

ShowSuper Food In Minutes

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/Gas 7. Place the duck legs on a roasting tray and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

When the duck is almost finished, place a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil from the roasting tray to the frying pan along with the ginger and garlic. Sauté for 2–3 minutes until softened. Add the honey, soy sauces, hoisin sauce and Chinese five-spice to the pan and stir to combine.

Pull the duck meat and crispy skin from the bones and shred, discarding any bones. Toss the meat into the sauce in the pan to coat.

Separate the baby gem leaves and lay on a platter. Top with the duck, cucumber, carrot, spring onions, chilli, coriander and sesame seeds. Serve with extra dollops of hoisin sauce as needed.

Cook's notes

No need for oil or extra seasoning before the duck goes in — the legs carry plenty of their own fat, which keeps the meat moist while the skin crisps at that high heat.
Use a couple of spoonfuls of the duck fat from the roasting tray to sauté the ginger and garlic; it carries loads of flavour into the sauce.
The sauce needs only a few moments on the heat once everything's combined — stir it together and take it off.
Let the legs rest for a few minutes so you can handle them, then shred the meat with two forks and toss it through the sauce so every strand gets glossed rather than swimming.
Dropping the sliced spring onions into iced water makes them curl and stay crisp — a small touch that makes the platter.

Serve with Lay everything out as a build-your-own platter with extra hoisin for dipping. Steamed jasmine rice or some plain noodles on the side turns it from a starter into a full dinner.

Make ahead & storage The shredded sauced duck keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheats gently in a pan. Store the salad, herbs and lettuce separately and assemble the wraps only when you're ready to eat.

45 Minutes

Recipe by Donal Skehan · From the series Donal's Family Kitchen · Photography © Appetite Media
Published 13 July 2026 · Updated 15 July 2026

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

115kcal

5gprotein

21gcarbs

3gfat

Approximate — calculated from the ingredient list using USDA food data. A guide, not a medical figure.

Made it? Leave a comment

Tell us how it went — swaps that worked, tips for the next cook, or just how it tasted. Comments appear once they've been checked by the team.

Keep cooking

More from Donal Skehan

All Donal's recipes

Perfect Birthday Funfetti Cake

65 min

Donal's Family KitchenPerfect Birthday Funfetti Cake

Donal Skehan

Crispy Chicken Sandwich

30 min

Donal's Family KitchenCrispy Chicken Sandwich

Donal Skehan

Korean Style Sloppy Joe Sliders

30 min

Donal's Family KitchenKorean Style Sloppy Joe Sliders

Donal Skehan