Pan-fried mallard with teriyaki marinade, stir-fried cabbage and peppers

I was invited wildfowling on the foreshore a few years ago. It’s something I have wanted to do for a long time but have never had the time, means or guts to do it. Although I have done a fair bit of duck shooting, I didn’t know what to expect, so I rang a good friend and seasoned wildfowler, Richard Petti, for advice.

Richard explained about the tides, winds and what best to wear. I asked what gun would be best and explained that I’d recently had my favourite 12-bore proofed for steel. “Do you really like it?” Richard asked. “Yes, I shoot pretty much everything with it,” I replied. “Don’t take it then. See if you can borrow one. The marsh is no place for a pretty gun,” Richard explained.

I didn’t really understand Richard’s concerns, but he knows his stuff, so I asked my host if he had a gun I could borrow for the day. He did, so we set a date and time that suited the tides and, on a cold November day, we set out on to the marsh.

A first taste of proper wildfowling

The tide was out and we could see for miles as we made our way across the uneven ground. To my amazement, the ground was covered in a carpet of sea purslane – a herb that we use all the time at work.

We navigated around many of the deep channels that criss-crossed the marsh to get to the edge of a large inlet. Here we set out some decoys and sat back to wait for the ducks to come in. The amount of birdlife around us was incredible, with flock after flock of brent geese passing overhead. Smaller ducks, such as pintails, teal and tufted ducks, followed along the water’s edge, pushed away from us by the wind.

The tide then started to turn and the channel where we crouched started to fill with water. I could now see why I didn’t want to bring my newly steel-proofed gun here. Mud and salt are not kind to nice guns. As the water came up to our waders, a pintail turned towards us and my companion gave me the nod as it came into range. I took it and it dropped into the ditch. It was my first experience of proper wildfowling.

Tips for teriyaki mallard

Marinate the skinned breasts for at least an hour, or overnight for a more intense flavour, and keep a little of the marinade back for the stir-fry. Two minutes a side in hot oil keeps the meat pink; rest it for a couple of minutes before slicing.