Braised duck with crunchy salad recipe

Braising duck breast fillets in red wine with garlic and ginger, plus a little redcurrant jelly for sweetness, produces moist, tender and flavoursome meat. The duck is cut into strips and served on a colourful mixture of crisp raw vegetables and fruit.

From Food in a Flash

Share it

Text Size: AA AA | Print it | Email it

Braised duck with crunchy salad Photo: Reader's Digest

Ingredients for braised duck with crunchy salad

3 duck breast fillets, about 500 g in total

1/2 cup (125 ml) red wine

1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly or cranberry sauce

1 teaspoon bottled chopped garlic in oil, drained

1 teaspoon bottled chopped ginger in oil, drained

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons balsamic or sherry vinegar

2 oranges

250 g red cabbage, finely shredded

1/4 head of Chinese cabbage, shredded

12/3 cups (150 g) bean sprouts, trimmed

85 g watercress, trimmed

1 can water chestnuts, about 220 g, drained and sliced

salt and pepper

Preparation for braised duck with crunchy salad

1 Preheat the oven to 220°C. Remove all the skin and fat from the duck breast fillets. Place them in an ovenproof dish, pour over the wine and add the redcurrant jelly or cranberry sauce, garlic and ginger. Place the dish in the oven and cook the duck for 20–25 minutes or until tender.

2 Meanwhile, mix together the oil, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste in a large salad bowl. Cut the peel and pith from the oranges with a sharp knife and, holding each orange over the bowl to catch the juice, cut between the membrane to release the segments. Add them to the bowl. Add the red cabbage, Chinese cabbage, bean sprouts, watercress (reserving a few sprigs for garnishing) and water chestnuts. Toss well to coat everything with the dressing.

3 Remove the duck from the oven and transfer it to a warm plate. Pour the cooking liquid into a saucepan. Boil the liquid rapidly for 1–2 minutes to reduce slightly, while cutting the duck diagonally across the grain into neat slices. Pour the wine sauce over the salad and toss together. Pile the slices of duck on top, garnish with the reserved sprigs of watercress and serve.

Each serving provides 1398 kJ, 334 kcal, 31 g protein, 12 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 20 g carbohydrate (16 g sugars), 4 g fibre

Health tips

All types of cabbage are rich in a range of vitamins, minerals and cancer-fighting phytochemicals.

Duck is higher in fat than other poultry; however, removing the skin and all visible fat reduces the fat content considerably. The meat is rich in minerals, providing iron and zinc, as well as B vitamins.

This salad contains a wide selection of different vegetables served raw, which preserves their vitamin value.

Red wine is a rich source of flavonols, which are powerful anti-oxidants.