Larb Ped — Duck Larb / ลาบเป็ด

Isaan and Northern Thailand — larb ped is less common than larb moo or larb gai but appears in premium Isaan restaurants and some Northern Thai preparations

Duck larb is the most richly flavoured of the larb family — the rendered fat from duck skin and the mineral depth of duck liver combine to create a dressing that is far more complex than chicken or pork versions. The skin is rendered and crisped separately, then crumbled in as a textural element. The liver is pan-seared quickly to medium-rare and sliced separately — it adds a mineral, ferrous note that deepens the overall flavour. The dressing is the same as Isaan larb: lime, fish sauce, dried chilli, khao khua, mint, and sawtooth coriander — but the duck provides a platform that amplifies rather than just carries these flavours.

Duck larb demonstrates that the larb technique elevates ingredients proportionally — the richer the protein, the more dramatically the lime-herb dressing cuts through, producing the most dynamic version of the flavour contrast.