Duck Salad with Balsamic Cherries

This delicious and hearty warm duck salad is the perfect meal for any season. With sautéed balsamic cherries, onions, fresh cherry tomatoes, and fragrant mint, this salad will delight your taste buds. The dish is finished with crunchy Brazil nuts, adding a nutty flavour and textural contrast to the salad. Whether you’re looking for a filling lunch or a light dinner, this duck recipe is sure to hit the spot. Recently updated!

My Warm Duck Salad With Cherries

I love duck meat. I think it’s a much tastier alternative to chicken, especially when cooked well, but it can be expensive and not always available so I don’t eat it as often as I’d like.

Whenever I see some well-priced duck, I treat myself to this lovely duck salad with balsamic cherries. I would probably categorize it as a warm salad as the duck breast and sauteed balsamic cherries and oniones are served heated over fresh, crispy salad leaves. However, you can also serve these ingredients cooled down.

This is a delicious and nourishing salad, that I think is also quite sexy, perfect for a special occasion like Valentine’s Day or a romantic dinner for two (or one).

How To Make Warm Duck Salad

The full recipe card with ingredients and a nutritional breakdown are below. Here are some step-by-step photos to guide you along.

Step 1. Wash and pat dry the duck breasts and bring to room temperature, leave them out of the fridge for about 15 minutes. Season with sea salt on each side.

Step 2. 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 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.

Step 3. 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.

Step 4. Slice the onions and tomatoes.

Step 5. 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.

Step 6. Remove the duck breasts on a cutting board and rest for 2-3 minutes. The flesh should be juicy, tender and slightly pink inside. 

Step 7. Arrange the salad on a large platter. Mix the salad dressing and drizzle over the salad leaves. Slice the duck breasts and place them 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 sliced Brazil nuts.

Recipe Notes & Tips

If you can’t find duck breast, or it’s too expensive, feel free to use chicken breasts and keep the skin on. You will need to adjust the cooking time for the chicken because unlike duck, it should be cooked through well. Cook the chicken breasts a little longer flesh side down, maybe 7-8 minutes instead of 3-4 minutes stated in the recipe.

Brazil nuts can be replaced with almonds or pumpkin seeds, I really like them for both the crunch and the nutrients (Brazil nuts are very high in selenium, a potent antioxidant).

Basil will work instead of mint. AIP guys, you will need to replace those tomatoes with something else like cucumber or carrot. See below for step by step photos.

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Full Recipe 

Find the full list of ingredients, instructions, and a nutritional breakdown below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let me know in the comments, and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.

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