Warm duck salad with balsamic cherries is a delicious and filling meal. The sweet and tangy balsamic cherries, combined with the fresh cherry tomatoes and crisp red onions, make for a flavour explosion in every bite. Topped with crunchy Brazil nuts and fragrant mint, this duck recipe is the perfect balance of sweet, savoury, and crunchy.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium duck breasts with skin on
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- A large handful of cherries about 15 cherries
- 1 medium red onion halved and sliced thinly
- 10-12 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
- 5 Brazil nuts chopped
- 2-3 cups salad leaves loose, washed
- 12 fresh mint leaves
For the dressing
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- A generous pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon or yellow mustard
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry the duck breasts and bring to room temperature, leave out of the fridge for about 15 minutes. Season with sea salt on each side.
- Place a large frying pan over medium heat and add the coconut oil. While the pan is still heating, place the duck breasts, skin side down, to start rendering off the fat. To render some of the fat off and get that lovely crispy skin, you need to cook the duck skin side down over medium heat, not too hot to not burn the skin and let the fat melt off slowly. Cook skin side down for 15 minutes. The duck fat will release into the frying pan and we will cook the onions and cherries in it.
- Prepare the cherries while the duck is cooking. Remove the tails and place the cherries on a cutting board. Press down gently with a knife until the cherry pops in half and the pit can be easily removed. Set the cherries aside.
- Slice the onions and tomatoes.
- Add the sliced onion to the pan after about 10 minutes of duck cooking and arrange the slices around the breasts. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and cook in duck fat for about 3-4 minutes, stirring halfway. Then add the prepared cherries (reserve a few as fresh ones for garnish). Stir through with the onion.
- By this stage our duck breasts will be ready to turn over. Cook on the flesh side for 3-4 minutes, and don't forget to stir the cherries and onions on the side.
- Then move the duck breasts to the side of the pan and turn them on their sides. Drizzle the onion and cherries with balsamic vinegar and stir through for a minute, until lightly caramelised.
- Remove the duck breasts on a cutting board and rest for 2-3 minutes. The flesh should be juicy, tender and slightly pink inside.
- Arrange the salad on a large platter. Mix the salad dressing and drizzle over the salad leaves. Slice the duck breasts and place on the top. Spread the caramelised onion and cherries evenly over the duck and make to scrape off all the juices from the pan. Top with cherry tomatoes, mint leaves and Brazil nuts.
Notes
Brazil nuts are very nutritious but are also quite caloric; you can replace them with almonds or hazelnuts instead. Duck skin can also be removed if you are calorie-conscious.
Nutrition
Calories: 687kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 174mg | Sodium: 800mg | Potassium: 1518mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 18334IU | Vitamin C: 67mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 14mg
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