Duck Breast Tacos with Plum Salsa

Name: Duck Breast Tacos with Plum Salsa
Ingredients: 1 whole star anise; 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican); 1/2 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns; 1/2 teaspoon ground ancho or other chile; 1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, plus more to taste; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 2 boneless, skin-on duck breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each); 3 or 4 corn tortillas, preferably homemade (page 84); 1/2 jalapeño chile, stemmed and seeded (seeds reserved); 1 barely ripe black or red plum, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 small shallot lobe, thinly sliced; 1 tablespoon lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped; 3 large fresh mint leaves, chopped; 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice; 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

December 14, 2011

You know you’ve got a taco problem when you make a duck breast recipe from a destined-to-be-classic Chinese cookbook and think, “Wouldn’t these be good in tortillas?” Yes, that’s what happened to me when I tried Eileen Yin-Fei Lo’s simple baked duck breasts from Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking. I served them for a Chinese dinner that night, but pretty soon I was playing around with a riff on five-spice powder, combining Asian and Mexican ingredients and rubbing them into the breasts before using Lo’s baking technique. A sweet, sour, and spicy plum salsa was just the thing to cut through and complement the deep flavors of the rich duck.

Cooks' Note

I call for two duck breasts here, because it’s difficult to make much less of this spice rub, but you can save one of the breasts for another day and another use (such as sliced cold on a salad).

Recipe notes

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