I’ve gone a bit quacky over duck lately! My husband and son are both duck hunters so our freezer fills up with the delicacy every winter.  I’m enjoying thawing out the breasts – love them ’cause they’re fatty and their fat makes delicious sauces and it’s THE BEST fat to fry potatoes in! This recipe is a healthy, light, low carb & gluten free dish that is great as a salad or for those not watching their carbs – served over jasmine rice.  Start by marinating two duck breasts in a bowl with 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp grated ginger, 2 TBSP Kikkoman Gluten Free Soy Sauce.  

Next, make a slaw-like salad! Shred a cup of red or purple cabbage and one medium carrot using a box grater.  Add 1 cup of sliced pickled carrots, 1 persian cucumber-sliced into 1/4 inch sticks and 2 scallions trimmed and halved lengthwise, and cut into 2-inch pieces.  Add all veggies into a mixing bowl and toss with a mixture of:  4 TBSP Hoisin Sauce, 1 TBSP sesame oil, 5 tsp White Wine Vinegar & 1 tsp Honey.  Season with sea salt and black pepper and toss to coat all veggies.

Cook the duck!

Ugh! I forgot to take a photo of the cooking-of-the-duck.  But….here goes:

Remove the duck breasts from the marinade and pat the breasts dry with paper towels.  Try to be sure to wipe off any big pieces of garlic as the garlic can burn during the cooking process.  Place the duck skin side down in a medium, nonstick pan on medium heat.  Cook for 15-20 minutes and pour off fat as it renders – cooking the duck until the skin is crisp.  After 15-20 minutes and skin is crisp, flip the duck and cook to your desired doneness.  Pour in the reserved marinade and bring to a boil.  After about 1 minute, the marinade should have bubbled and thickened.  Turn the duck in the glaze to coat on all sides and then transfer the cooked duck to a cutting board to rest.  Save that rendered duck fat in a glass jar in the fridge to use for future recipes! Don’t waste it! It’s GOLD!

Let the duck rest for 5 minutes, then thinly slice and serve over the crunchy salad!

If you decide to make this dish, give me a call and I’ll be right over – one of my favorites!

Happy cooking, y’all!

~Angie