Fraternization.
My brother Mike and his wife Chris came to visit for a week. Divergent sibling tastes can be a challenge, but not for me. My brothers are as passionate and adventurous about food as I am, so I saw this as a week of unbridled cooking and food shopping. Fraternizing with the frater.
We started our shopping at the Tuesday Tucson Village Farm market, and ended with visits to the Saturday and Sunday Heirloom Farmers Markets. More shopping is better right? On that final Sunday market day, we went in search of inspiration for that evening’s dinner.
We found our inspiration at Top Knot Farms, where they had beautiful duck breasts available. Right then and there, these Duck Tacos were born. We made a mental inventory of the fridge and bought the rest at the market: tortillas, bell pepper, wild mushrooms, cilantro, and I’itoi onions.
At dinner time, we put out many little bowls of fixings, and let everyone go to town. Two or three tacos (flour tortillas are the dominant local tradition) per person is just about right. It was a great meal to end their visit. (Note: check out the beautiful bubinga wood butcher block cutting board above that Mike made for me. It’s nice to have an incredibly talented brother…)
~ David
Duck Tacos
To print this recipe, please click the small printer icon below.
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper
- 24 I’itoi onions or spring onions
- olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups chopped wild mushrooms (about 6 ounces)
- 1/2 teaspoon shallot powder
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- kosher salt
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 cups finely shredded cabbage
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- salsa rojo
- 4 duck breasts, about 8 ounces each
- 12 6-inch flour tortillas
Instructions
- Using a gas/charcoal grill or your broiler, grill the whole red bell pepper until blackened on all sides. Put in a paper bag and let steam for 10 minutes. De-stem, peel, and seed the pepper and cut into 1/4-inch dice. (Alternatively, use a pre-roasted and jarred bell pepper.) Put in a small bowl and set aside.
- Drizzle the I’itoi onions or spring onions with olive oil. Using either the grill or a grill pan on the stove, brown onions on all sides. Set aside on a plate.
- Melt the butter in a small skillet and add the chopped mushrooms. Let them cook for a bit before stirring to allow them some browning time. Add the shallot powder and chile powder and season with salt, stirring to blend. Cook until mushrooms are brown and liquid has evaporated. Set aside in a small bowl.
- Place the crema in a small bowl and add the cumin; season with salt and stir well. Set aside.
- Place cabbage in a bowl and set aside. Do the same with the cilantro and salsa rojo.
- If the fat layer on the duck breasts is thick, score the fat in a diamond pattern. Season the breasts with salt and pepper on both sides, then place them, skin side down, in a nonstick skillet and turn on the heat to medium. Let cook for 7-8 minutes until skin is brown and crispy; if it’s not browning, raise heat slightly. Turn and cook an additional 4 minutes. Remove from the skillet and place on a cutting board. Tent with foil and let sit for 5 minutes.
- While duck is resting, heat the tortillas either in the oven or in the microwave; either way they should be tightly wrapped (foil for the oven, a damp cotton napkin for the microwave).
- Strip the fat off the breasts and discard. Slice the meat thinly and place on a plate.
- Place warmed tortillas on a plate.
- Take all the bowls to the table and let your guests construct their own tacos starting with cabbage and spring onions, then adding the bell peppers, mushrooms, duck, cumin crema, salsa, and cilantro.
- Makes 12 tacos.
© 2024 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Mimi Rippee
April 13, 2024 at 6:00 amWow. These sound wonderful. I’ve never thought of duck in tacos, but why the hell not?!!
Cocoa & Lavender
April 13, 2024 at 8:08 amThat is exactly what we thought! I learned when I did my hashtags that, apparently, 5000 other people thought so too! 🤣
Mad Dog
April 13, 2024 at 6:12 amI’m sure that tastes amazing and what beautiful styling!
Cocoa & Lavender
April 13, 2024 at 8:08 amThanks, Mad Dog! Tacos are one of the hardest things to style and photograph.
Alex
April 13, 2024 at 6:22 amI wonder if I can find duck breast down here in Florida. These look amazing.
Cocoa & Lavender
April 13, 2024 at 8:09 amHi Alex. Thanks for your question… Do you have Whole Foods near you? If so, they generally carry it. Also, I think some Harris Teeters do, as well.
Karen (Back Road Journal)
April 13, 2024 at 6:31 amYou are so lucky having so many good things available at your farmers markets. The tacos sound absolutely great!
Cocoa & Lavender
April 13, 2024 at 8:09 amI really love our farmers markets, Karen. Sometime you should come and visit and I’ll take you to all of them too!
Melissa
April 13, 2024 at 7:00 amThese sound fantastic. But alas–I’m the only duck lover in the family!
Great-looking cutting board too.
Cocoa & Lavender
April 13, 2024 at 8:10 amSounds like you’ll have to make them out of a good steak, Melissa. Would that be so bad? (Honestly, I know it would be fantastic…)
Barb
April 13, 2024 at 7:38 amYum, gourmet tacos presented eloquently! The cutting board is gorgeous also. I’m not sure I can find the duck locally but I think smoked brisket would also be great (I do my own smoking). Glad you were able to spend what sounds like a very fun week with your family.
Cocoa & Lavender
April 13, 2024 at 8:11 amI love that you smoke your own brisket, Barb! Yes, that would work beautifully on these tacos. The cumin crema really makes this dish, and it would work well with duck or beef. I do love that all my brothers, especially this one, love to cook so much. Our mother taught us that food — good food — is very important.
Barb
April 13, 2024 at 6:09 pmYour mother was a very smart lady, and apparently you take after her.
Cocoa & Lavender
April 14, 2024 at 3:31 amThat is probably the best compliment I could ever receive. Thanks, Barb. (And she was a very smart lady!)
Gerlinde de Broekert
April 13, 2024 at 7:41 amDavid, what a great recipe. I love duck and I love tacos, a tasty combination.
Cocoa & Lavender
April 13, 2024 at 8:11 amIt worked so well, Gerlinde — we were all very happy with the results.
angiesrecipes
April 13, 2024 at 10:46 amGosh, those duck breasts are absolutely amazing!
Cocoa & Lavender
April 13, 2024 at 10:54 amThanks, Angie — they tasted so good!
Jill W Becker
April 13, 2024 at 11:01 amSounds like a great week. What a great way to serve – must try. Would love to see the bowls. Added to my must try list
Cocoa & Lavender
April 13, 2024 at 11:05 amIt was really fun — we both love our kitchen time together. The bowls were small white bowls from (I think) Crate and Barrel.
sherry
April 13, 2024 at 5:20 pmI love duck! How marvellous do these sound David? Yes please. And how lovely of your brother to make you a beautiful board. Is Mexican crema like sour cream? Your photos are making me drool! even tho it’s breakfast time, but then again, I have never been a slave to food convention. I eat what I like when I like :=)
Cocoa & Lavender
April 14, 2024 at 3:18 amThanks, Sherry! These were definitely tasty tacos. Mexican crema is thinner and a little less tart than sour cream, but sour cream would work perfectly for this. And, as for tacos for breakfast? Why not.
Pauline McNee
April 13, 2024 at 7:29 pmYour duck tacos look absolutely superb David. I’m now going shopping for duck this week, we love it, and did you really discard the duck fat, that also sounds delicious ha, ha. I was fascinated by the l’itoi onions, a little bit of research and I see they love growing in Arizona desert conditions, perfect for you. I can grow shallots here so that is what I will use. Your brother also sound like a great guy, and very handy, what a lovely board. Eating this way is such fun. Your local markets also sound fantastic.
Cocoa & Lavender
April 14, 2024 at 3:22 amPauline — I’m so happy you love duck. And we did discard the fat in a pique of health consciousness, though I must admit that I love it. As for the onions, we feel lucky to have them here — they are so sweet. But scallions, spring onions or your homegrown shallots would be great (especially your shallots!). And, yes, I do love our markets!
Ronit
April 14, 2024 at 9:53 amGreat dish for leisurely entertaining! Great mix of flavors.
Your pairing the duck with flour tortillas reminded me of Peking duck, wrapped with Mandarin pancakes. Now I want both! 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
April 15, 2024 at 8:14 amI hadn’t thought of Peking Duck but that makes perfect sense. Because Tucson and Southern Arizona is historically a wheat-growing region (because of the missionaries), flour tortillas reign, though reslly good corn tortillas are definitely here, too.
Raymund
April 17, 2024 at 2:45 pmWhat a fantastic culinary adventure with your brother and his wife! It sounds like you made the most of your time together, exploring local markets and crafting delicious meals. Those Duck Tacos sound absolutely divine, look at that perfect browning, I am drooling
Cocoa & Lavender
April 18, 2024 at 8:27 amWe had a great time together… we barely had time to sightsee in the area because we were cooking so much. Very fun.
2pots2cook
April 18, 2024 at 6:10 amThis looks great! Did you save duck fat maybe ? So great substitute for oil and butter……..
Cocoa & Lavender
April 18, 2024 at 8:20 amWe did save the fat that had rendered in the pan but I could have rendered more… but with guests and running around, it was more than I could handle! I love using duck fat. The other thing about the duck from Top Knot is that it is free range and has a very thin layer of fat.
Valentina
April 18, 2024 at 9:54 pmAwesome you and your brothers are all into food in a similar way. The duck breasts look amazing, and the tacos even better! I love a taco set-up — so fun to “build-your-own.” Really beautiful colorful photos! 🙂 ~Valentina
Cocoa & Lavender
April 19, 2024 at 2:25 pmThe nice thing about a taco bar is that everyone gets what they want and all cilantro haters are happy!
Jeff the Chef
April 23, 2024 at 7:24 amI’ve never had duck tacos! Great idea!
Cocoa & Lavender
April 23, 2024 at 7:36 amIt was new for us, too, Jeff — and they were good!
Marcelle
April 24, 2024 at 7:44 amI’ve never tried duck tacos, David but they look so good. Love the mushrooms!! The cutting board is beautiful, that’s a great gift!