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.

Try This Next Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes with Parmesan Orzo Recipe

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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Description

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.

1. 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.
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 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.
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.
4. Slice the onions and tomatoes.
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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Remove the duck breasts on a cutting board and rest for 2-3 minutes. The flesh should be juicy, tender and slightly pink inside.
9. 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

• Serving Size: Half of the salad
• Calories: 592
• Sugar: 20 g
• Sodium: 1307.4 mg
• Fat: 37.1 g
• Carbohydrates: 30.6 g
• Fiber: 6.4 g
• Protein: 38.2 g
• Cholesterol: 127.8 mg

Keywords: Duck Recipes, Duck Breast, Cherries, Salad Recipes, Gluten-Free, Paleo

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Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes with Parmesan Orzo Recipe

Shrimp laced with buttery garlic and thyme and a burst tomato sauce served on a creamy Parmesan orzo.

Juicy, succulent shrimp laced with garlic, butter, and thyme, tucked into a silky burst tomato sauce, and piled high on creamy, luscious Parmesan orzo. WHAT A DREAMBOAT DINNER. I love this recipe!

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In This Post:

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How To Make This Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes (with Pictures)

Step 1: Blister and Smash the Tomatoes

Get the tomatoes hot and blistery; then give ’em a gentle smash with the back of a spoon or a small plate. It’s… very fun.

Step 2: Cook the Shrimp

Make a little clearing right in the center of the tomatoes where you can add your shrimp to cook for a couple of minutes. Salt it up!

Step 3: Get the Garlic and Butter Going In There

Throw in a bunch of freshly sliced garlic and a knob of butter. Stir it up a few times until it’s dreamy.

Step 4: Make a Creamy Orzo

Put a lid on the shrimp and make a quick creamy orzo – butter, Parmesan, cream, lemon, and salt.

Step 5: Put It All Together

Piping hot orzo goes on the plate first, and then we pull our shrimp and tomatoes back out to pile on top.

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Lindsay’s Notes

This recipe is in heavy rotation at the moment – and it never fails to make me feel like I’m eating at a fancy restaurant and/or generally have my life together. Is my laundry all over my table? Yes. Have I been using dry shampoo for the last 4 days? Yes. But am I also eating a kind of fancy and beautiful dinner? YES! Three cheers for doable “fancy” recipes. 10/10 recommend.

Creamy orzo with the twang of Parmesan, sweet burst tomatoes gently bubbled into a sauce, and a pile of jumbo, delicate, buttery, garlic-laced shrimp. Pass me a glass of wine and I am living my best life.

As far as family approval goes, Bjork and I love the whole big, beautiful thing – no thyme for him (a true crime and I don’t want to spend any more time talking about it), and lots of thyme, salt, and pepp for me. The girls are hit and miss with the shrimp and tomatoes, but you better believe they love the creamy Parmesan orzo which is, of course, just mac and cheese in disguise. They’ll usually eat a few of the fresh little tomatoes on the side, too. Winning for everybody!

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Description

Shrimp laced with buttery garlic and thyme and a burst tomato sauce served on a creamy Parmesan orzo.

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Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes:

Creamy Orzo:

Popular Recipe Thai Chicken Drumsticks (Baked)

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1. Cook the Orzo: Cook according to package directions. Drain, toss with a bit of oil, and set aside.
2. Soften the Tomatoes: Add the tomatoes and olive oil to a pan over medium high heat so they can soften and get a bit blistered on the outside. I usually cover the pan to avoid extra splatters.
3. Smash the Tomatoes: Once they’re soft (5 minutes or so), give them a gentle smash with the back of a spoon or applying even pressure with a plate or similar flat object. You want the tomatoes to be partially burst / smashed so they release some juices.
4. Cook the Shrimp: Make a little clearing in the center of the tomatoes and add your shrimp right in; season them with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 2 minutes on each side.
5. Give it Some Flava-Flave: Add the garlic, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the pan and stir to mix it all together. Let it get saucy and bubbly; then remove from heat and cover with a lid.
6. Make the orzo: Mix the orzo with butter, half and half, Parmesan, and lemon. Stir to combine; warm it up over the heat if necessary.
7. Pile it up: Serve immediately so the orzo doesn’t get too starchy and sticky! Pile it on a plate with a big scoop of steamy shrimp and tomatoes. Top with thyme. So good!

Notes

This amount usually makes enough for just Bjork and I to finish the shrimp, with plenty of orzo for us and the girls. If you wanted to serve 4 adults, I would use 2 pounds of shrimp!

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Saute
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: shrimp and orzo, orzo recipe, shrimp and tomatoes

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Frequently Asked Questions For Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes

What can I use instead of shrimp?

Chicken would be delicious! I would probably pan-fry the chicken first, then take it out and set aside while you build your tomato sauce, then add the chicken back in at the end.

How long do the leftovers last?

You can definitely eat this meal as leftovers for 1, maybe 2 days after you make it, but it’s one of those meals that really shines when it’s made fresh.

Can you make this vegetarian / meatless?

Use zucchini in place of the shrimp! Or, similarly, this recipe is great.

How do you make this gluten-free and/or dairy-free?

Use gluten free orzo, dairy-free butter (or olive oil), and something else creamy in place of the half and half and Parmesan – a knob of dairy-free cream cheese would be good!

Another option would be to skip the creamy orzo and serve this with quinoa or another gluten-free, dairy-free option.

My Favorite Shrimp Recipes

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