Marinated Duck Breast with Tomato and Basil Pasta recipe
This sweet, piquant dish never fails to impress and is a favourite way of preparing Gressingham duck. If you have not had time to marinate the duck overnight, the dish will still be tasty.
Ingredients
- 2 Gressingham duck breasts
- 2 tbsp apple balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
- ½ a lemon, zested
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 150g spaghetti
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 150g baby plum tomatoes, halved
- Handful of fresh basil
- 50g parmesan, finely grated
Method
- Preheat your oven to 200°c or 180°c fan. Lightly score the skin of the duck breasts six to eight times without cutting the meat underneath.
- Mix the vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, unpeeled garlic cloves, lemon zest and rapeseed oil together in a bowl. Add the prepared duck breasts to the marinade and coat them well. Make sure the meat is completely immersed, cover the bowl with cling film and leave to marinate at room temperature for 2 hours or in the fridge overnight.
- When you are ready to prepare the dish, wipe off the excess marinade and place the duck breasts skin-side down into a non-stick pan on a medium heat. Cook until the skin is golden, which should take about 3 minutes, before turning over to seal the meat on the other side.
- Transfer the duck breasts to a baking tray and roast them in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, longer if you like your duck well done. Leave to rest for 10 minutes somewhere warm.
- Cook the spaghetti as per the packet instructions. Drain well and reserve a little pasta water. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan on a low to medium heat and add the finely chopped garlic. Cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes with two tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Cook for 3 minutes, then add the cooked spaghetti to the pan with another tablespoon of pasta water, a squeeze of lemon juice and most of the basil. Lightly season.
- Toss the pasta so everything is combined, then divide between two warm plates or bowls. Carve each duck breast into six slices and place them on top of the spaghetti. Finish with the grated parmesan and remaining basil then serve immediately.