Duck Liver Frisée Salad
This wonderful salad makes for a nice lunch or light dinner.
Relying heavily on rendered bacon fat, which cooks everything and appears in the dressing, this salad comes close to a classic salade Lyonnaise, but with a few differences.
I’ve added crisped up duck livers for extra protein and richness, as well as toasted hazelnuts for a nutty crunch.
This recipe is perfect for if you come home from hunting with a couple ducks or geese and want to make something small with the livers right away!
- Prep Time15 min
- Cook Time20 min
- Total Time35 min
- Yield2 servings as a meal
Ingredients
- 6oz (175g) pancetta or bacon, cut into small cubes or strips
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts, whole or cut in half
- 6oz (175g) duck or goose livers
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) Dijon mustard
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 head frisée, torn into bite-sized pieces
Preparation
Add the pancetta or bacon to a dry pan over medium heat. Fry them until they render their fat and get crispy, about 10 minutes. Set them aside, reserving the rendered fat in the pan.
Add the hazelnuts to the bacon fat over medium low heat. Toast them for about 5 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden and smell nice and toasty.
Set them aside, again, reserving the fat in the pan.
Season the livers generously with salt and pepper.
Increase the heat under the pan of fat to medium high. Add the livers and sear 2 minutes per side, or until the outsides are crispy and the insides are rosy pink.
Set them aside to rest for 5 minutes, reserving the fat in the pan.
Chop the livers into small pieces.
Peel the garlic and smash the cloves with the flat of your knife. Add them to the bacon fat over medium low heat and cook them for about 5 minutes, or until they’re golden and crispy.
Remove, reserving the fat, and chop.
Bring a pot of water to a very low simmer.
Crack eggs into a sieve one at a time, then transfer to a small bowl or ramekin, then slide them into the water.
Cook for 5 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
For more instructions on poaching, check out this article.
Add the vinegar, mustard, shallot, and chopped garlic to a large salad bowl.
Pour the remaining bacon fat through a strainer into the salad bowl. You could use olive oil instead if you wish.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper, then whisk until the dressing emulsifies.
Add in the frisée, livers, hazelnuts, and bacon and toss everything in with the dressing.
Top with a poached egg to serve. Enjoy!