This crunchy Winter salad can be served as an appetizer or main dish and is especially good for showing off at dinner parties. Slices of honey glazed, pan-fried duck breast is served over kale, watercress, beetroot and wedges of cooked apple and then topped with crunchy, honey glazed walnuts. It’s a simple salad recipe that is sure to please!
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Guys, Valentines Day is coming up! Do you celebrate it or is it just another day in the calendar for you? I wouldn’t say we celebrate it particularly, but we might exchange a card (last year Mike got me one that said ‘You’ll do’ – this is why I love him) and, as we’re trying to save a few pennies at the moment, I will probably cook. And you can 100% bet I’ll cook this Winter Salad with Pan-Fried Duck Breast!
I know what you’re thinking, a salad? In Winter? Noo, give me soups and stews and all the comfort food. But hear me out. This dish has some of the best Winter ingredients with a fab range of textures and flavours, all wrapped in a sherry vinegar based dressing. There’s a lot going on in this little Winter salad!
Then we’ve topped it with perfectly cooked slices of duck breast with honey glazed, crispy skin. The walnuts are also honey glazed because that felt necessary and it was 100% the right choice. There are salads and then there is ✨this salad✨ my friends. Try it!
How to cook duck breast
- Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius
- Score the skin of the duck breast with a knife then add it, skin side down, to an oven-proof, cold pan. Place the pan onto a medium heat on your hob and leave the duck breast to cook for 7-10 minutes until the skin is golden brown and crispy.
- Flip the duck breast and cook for 1-2 minutes, then transfer the pan to the oven:
- For medium rare: cook for 3-4 minutes.
- For medium: cook for 5-7 minutes.
- For well done: cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the duck breast from the oven and leave to rest on a plate for 5 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat and the meat fibers to relax, making it more tender.
- Slice the duck and serve up!
Alternatively, if you don’t have an oven-proof frying pan, start the duck breast in a frying pan to cook the skin, then transfer it to a baking tray or roasting tray to finish it off in the oven.
Winter Salad with Pan Fried Duck Breast F.A.Q
For best results, the duck, apples and walnuts should be cooked at the time you need them. You could prepare the remaining ingredients (chopping the kale and beetroot, making the dressing) a little in advance then keep them separate until you are ready to serve.
Why you should eat this…
- Perfectly cooked, juicy slices of honey glazed duck breast.
- The perfect mix of sweet (from the honey glazed duck and walnuts) and sour (from the sherry vinegar dressing).
- Lots of texture! Crunchy veggies, soft apple wedges, creamy walnuts and tender duck breast.
- It’s a little bit fancy! Perfect for a valentines day meal or as a starter for a dinner party. Or, you know, lunch…
If you like this Winter Salad Recipe you might also like…
- Parsnip, Cabbage and Celeriac Remoulade with Pan-Fried Trout
- Vegetable, Chicken and Bacon Pie
- Roast Chicken Tikka Masala with Cauliflower
- Pan-Fried Sea Bass with Chorizo and Lentils
- Quick and Easy Chimichurri Salad
- Kale Caesar Salad Recipe from Serious Eats
Winter Salad with Pan Fried Duck Breast
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Winter Salad with Pan Fried Duck Breast
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Pan-Frying
- Cuisine: English
Description
This crunchy Winter salad recipe is full of beetroot, kale, watercress and apple. Then topped with slices of honey glazed duck breast and honeyed walnuts. Delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 large duck breast, skin on (approximately 150–200 grams)
- Salt
- 1/2 tablespoon oil
- 1 apple, cut into 8 wedges and core removed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon honey, plus 1 teaspoon for the dressing
- 40 grams kale, shredded
- 40 grams watercress
- 1 beetroot, thinly sliced, using a mandolin if you have one
- 20 grams walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Make sure all of your vegetables are prepped before you start, so you can focus on cooking the duck breast to perfection.
- Heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Using a sharp knife score the duck skin, being careful not to cut down to the flesh, then season with salt. Add the duck to a cold ovenproof frying pan (such as a cast iron skillet), skin side down (see notes). Turn the heat onto medium and leave the duck to cook for 7-10 minutes. This allows more fat to render out from the skin.
- In a second frying pan heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil on to medium-low heat. Fry the apple wedges for 4-5 minutes on each side until they become golden brown and have softened. When done, set aside until ready to plate.
- Prepare the dressing by mixing the sherry vinegar, oil, 1 teaspoon of honey, pepper and a pinch of salt. Whisk together then set aside until you are ready to serve.
- Check your duck skin: if it is not crispy enough turn up the heat and cook for another 1-2 minutes until it is golden brown. Then flip the duck breast and cook for another 1 minute until all of the flesh is seared. Drain off any excess fat (save for roast potatoes!). Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of honey onto the duck breast skin, then transfer to the oven to continue cooking.
- For rare: cook for 3-4 minutes.
- For medium: cook for 5-7 minutes.
- For well done: cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the duck breast from the oven and baste with the honey and any pan juices. Transfer the duck breast to a plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- In the same pan that you cooked the duck in add the chopped walnuts and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of honey and place over a medium heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the walnuts are coated in honey. Turn off the heat.
- Once the duck has rested, thinly slice it.
- Toss the kale and watercress in the dressing before beginning to plate up.
- To plate up: layer slices of beetroot on to two plates, then top with a handful of the dressed kale and watercress. Add 4 apple wedges to each plate then dived the slices of duck breast between the two plates. Sprinkle the walnuts on top then drizzle any excess dressing around the side. Et voila! Enjoy!
Notes
- If you don’t have an ovenproof frying pan, use a regular frying pan to cook the skin, then transfer the duck to a roasting dish when it needs to go into the oven.
Keywords: Winter Salad Recipe, Winter Salad, Duck Breast, Pan-Fried Duck Breast,
Last Updated:
After 3 days of hesitation, I have finally decided to try this recipe out, although I failed to make it looks exactly like yours but it turned out to be very tasty 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks so much! I am so glad you enjoyed!