Inspiration for the lemon honey duck comes from Raymund at Ang Sarap http://angsarap.net/2013/05/08/vietnamese-style-grilled-lemongrass-pork/ and Daisy at Cool Cook Style http://coolcookstyle.com/.  I liked the lemongrass honey flavor going on with the marinade for Raymund’s pork and Daisy mentioned duck in a comment.  So that’s why.  Be sure to check out Raymund’s recipe, the one below is just the idea of his recipe 😉 Experimental, quoi.
For this experiment, I decided to use German duck breasts in case anything went wrong.  German duck breasts are leaner and probably healthier (the “h” word) because, unlike the French duck breasts I buy, they are not forced fed and have less fat.  They taste different too.  But in a good way 😀  I wonder if you can die from eating too much duck or asparagus?  Vegetarians?  Don’t be shy 🙂
Yes, there’s all those asparagus to get through. Â Today it’s a stir fry of white and baby green asparagus with mushrooms. Â Just special!
Grilled Lemon Honey Duck Breasts with Asparagus Mushroom Medley
Duck
2 lean duck breasts
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp honey
With the tip of a sharp knife, poke the breasts all over. Â Mix together the garlic, shallot, lemon juice, soy sauce, fish sauce and black pepper. Â Place the marinade and the breasts into a zip lock bag, squish around and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the duck breasts from the marinade. Â Pour the marinade into a bowl and add the honey. Â Grill the breasts over medium high heat while basting with the marinade honey mixture.
Asparagus
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups white asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
2 cups baby asparagus, cut in half
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 handful of fresh cilantro, vaguely chopped
Cook the shallot in the butter and oil for 1 minute, then add the white asparagus and cook for 2-3 minutes. Â Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Â Add the baby asparagus and cook for another 2 minutes. Â Add the soy sauce and cook for 1 minute. Â Remove from flame and toss in the cilantro.
Both look beautiful and I could dive in right now!
Thank you Chica. The experiment turned out well 🙂
Ha ha – fat is fat, but duck fat is one of the healthier fat options, it contains oleic acid, like olive oil. They look lovely on the grill and with asparagus too 😉
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-oleic-acid.htm
Thank you Mad.
Duck is definitely my favourite meat. I will give a try to your great recipe. I love the pictures by the way.
Thank you Natacha. I pretty partial to duck myself 😉
Very tasty looking. We are booked to go to the south of France for a couple of weeks in August. I can’t wait to get to the supermarket to buy some of that fat duck.
Thank you Conor. Take a cooler 🙂
I love duck but have never grilled it. About how long did you grill it…it looks perfectly cooked.
Thank you Karen. I first heated the grill to 500 F with top down, then I seared the fat side over medium heat for about 5 minutes. I then turned off half the grill, flipped the breasts over and moved them to the “cold” side, closed the top and roasted for about 15 minutes, basting every 5 minutes.
Thank you so much Rosemary, that really helps. We will be heading to our cottage in Maine in a couple of weeks and I’ll take some duck with us. I grill most nights during the summer there.
You are welcome. Grilled lobster!
Oh yes, I’m looking forward to lots of lobster.
wonderful looking dish – we have a duck breast waiting for us in the freezer. Can’t wait to eat it 😀
Thank you Frugal. Can’t wait to see your duck recipe!
I’m yet to cook with Duck, this makes it look so easy! Thanks for sharing
It is easy Lisa. Good luck with yours.
Always looking for good asparagus recipes (as it is the season). So, thanks for this one!
You are welcome.
My kids would love this. So are all ducks in France force fed? Or is it labeled so you know you are buying cruel free meat? As far as I know over here that is pretty much banned now so I don’t have to worry about it but when I’m over there I want to know what I’m buying.
Hi. No not all ducks are force fed. The force fed ones are foie gras ducks and expensive. Just go into a supermarket and you can pretty much guarantee that they are just regular ducks. Read the package.
That’s good to know, thanks.
Bonjour je voudrais me désinscrire svp
herve.stpierre@cgocable.ca ,
_____
Bien sur! Il y a une place sur le blog ou vous pouvez mettre votre e-mail address.
Bonjour je voudrais me désinscrire svp
herve.stpierre@cgocable.ca ,
_____
Nearly missed this but am glad I didn’t. A recipe to keep I think!
Yes, I’m going to keep this one Phil!
Thanks for the mention. That duck breast is cooked to perfection
Such a delectable meal that you just made super simple for weeknights even! A mouthwatering recipe. Thanks for sharing, I can’t wait to try it!
-Shannon
Thank you Shannon.
Unfair. Green with envy… I have to wai until summer to see a magret in a charcoal bbq.
I want to go to see my parents! I mean, to my bbq. Seriously, I envy this! 😉 Here, in restaurants, duck meat is a little unusual in the grill, they tend to use grill for other type of meats. And, let’s be sincere, is better if you trust in who cooks canard, a bad-cooked canard, oh, that’s terrible!
You certainly have to be sure you get a good duck breast and cook it well.
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