For a duck recipe with a difference, try this dish with Middle Eastern-inspired ingredients for a new way to enjoy the rich meat.
Pomegranate molasses, a syrup used in Middle Eastern dishes, gives this duck dish a sweet and sour flavour that is really distinctive. It’s a great dinner party recipe to try if you’re looking for something new to cook up this week. Served with nuts, red onions and fresh pomegranate seeds, this main is full of different flavours and textures.
Ingredients
- 200g walnut pieces
- 2tbsp olive oil
- 2 large red onions, sliced
- 4 duck breasts
- 100g pomegranate molasses
- 200ml rich chicken stock
- 4tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 4tbsp pomegranate seeds
Method
Fry the walnuts for a few minutes in 1tbsp hot olive oil until crisp, then set aside on kitchen paper. Fry the onions for a few minutes until coloured. Set a quarter of both of these aside for later.
Make small slashes in the duck fat but not the skin. Season well all over. Heat the remaining oil in a deep sauté pan and brown the fat until crispy. Set aside. Return the onions and walnuts to the pan. Add the molasses and chicken stock, bring to the boil then simmer gently.
Return the duck to the pan flesh side down then cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the duck is tender. Take out the duck (you may want to flash grill it to crisp it up). Reduce the sauce until thickened slightly. Stir in the parsley. Slice the duck and spoon over the sauce. Scatter over the reserved nuts, onions and the pomegranate seeds.
Top Tip for making Duck With Pomegranate And Walnuts
We served our duck with basmati rice to which we added chopped pistachios, orange segments and pomegranate seeds.
