Duck Breast Salad with Raspberries and Rocket

This recipe highlights the elegance of the ingredients and is perfect for a warm day:

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the duck:

• 2 Free Range Beach Ridge duck breasts, skin on
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp olive oil

For the salad:

• 2 large handfuls of fresh rocket
• 100g fresh raspberries
• ½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 30g toasted walnuts or pecans (optional, for crunch)
• 50g crumbled goat cheese or feta (optional)

For the dressing:

• 2 tbsp raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Prepare the duck:
   • Score the duck skin in a criss-cross pattern, being careful not to cut into the meat.
   • Season both sides with salt and pepper.
   • Place duck breasts skin-side down in a cold, dry pan. Turn the heat to medium.
   • Cook for 6–8 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and most of the fat has rendered.
   • Flip and cook for another 4–5 minutes for medium-rare, or longer to your desired doneness.
   • Let rest for 5–10 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain.
2. Make the dressing:
   • In a small bowl or jar, whisk together vinegar, mustard, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
3. Assemble the salad:
   • In a large bowl, gently toss rocket, red onion, raspberries, and nuts with just enough dressing to lightly coat.
   • Divide between two plates.
   • Arrange sliced duck breast over the top.
   • Crumble goat cheese or feta over the salad (if using).
   • Drizzle with a little extra dressing and garnish with a few whole raspberries for presentation.

Tips:

• For extra flavour, macerate the raspberries with a teaspoon of vinegar and a pinch of sugar for 5 minutes before adding to the salad.
• Duck can be served warm or at room temperature.
• Substitute rocket with baby spinach or a mix of tender greens if preferred.