This is the kind of appetizer that disappears the moment it hits the table—so be warned. Its roots trace back to our days at the Balboa Club in Mazatlán, a storied hunting and fishing club on Sinaloa’s Costa del Oro, now just a memory. Back then, after the husbands returned with birds in hand, we’d order these irresistible little bites to start the evening, washing them down with perfectly balanced margaritas. Salty air, clinking glasses, sun-warmed laughter—and flavors so good they stopped conversation mid-sentence. It was, quite simply, heaven on the palate.
So, when mr. splendid jr. casually announced he’d been hunting—and happened to have a stash of luscious duck breasts to share—I knew exactly how they’d star on our Christmas Eve table. Rich, silky duck meets the gentle heat of jalapeño, all wrapped in crisp, smoky bacon: irresistible on its own. But dip one into homemade Thousand Island dressing and suddenly these little bites take off—bold, decadent, and completely over the top in the very best way.
I’m a firm believer in homemade salad dressings. They’re one of the simplest things to make, yet nothing compares to the bright, fresh flavor they bring to your food. This one is especially versatile—fantastic on burgers, tucked into sandwiches, or draped over a classic Crab Louie—and it keeps beautifully in the refrigerator for at least a week. Best of all, you skip the parade of unpronounceable additives (looking at you, propylene glycol alginate). Chances are you don’t have that lurking in your fridge—but you probably do have these lovely, fresh, wholesome ingredients waiting to be put to good use.
Vic Bergeron, the original owner of Trader Vic’s, is often credited with introducing rumaki to the mainland. He traced these irresistible hors d’oeuvres back to Hawaii, shaped by both Chinese and Japanese influences. Traditionally, rumaki features scallops or chicken livers paired with a slice of water chestnut, all wrapped in bacon and kissed with heat. And then there’s the Parisian twist: a green olive tucked inside a prune, swaddled in bacon, and baked until blissfully savory-sweet. Utterly unexpected—and absolutely incredible.
Serve with homemade 1000 Island Dressing for dipping (recipe below)
Duck Rumaki
Makes 2 dozen pupus
Ingredients
- 2 duck breasts, skin removed, sliced and cut into 1″ pieces
- 12 strips of good quality bacon, sliced in half
- 24 sliced hot jalapeno peppers {from a jar}
- 24 decorative toothpicks
Assembly
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In the center of each slice of bacon place a piece of the duck and a jalapeño slice.
Wrap the bacon tightly around the duck and pepper and secure with a toothpick or a skewer.
Place the finished rumaki on a baking tray and position on center rack of your preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes, turning them midway.
And, now, on to that divine dip.
This flavorful dressing is reported to have originated the small resort town of Clayton, NY in the Thousand Island area on the St. Lawrence River between Canada and New York State. The wife of a fishing guide, Sophia La Londe, created it at the Clayton Herald Hotel. The owner of the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC was said to have summered at the hotel. He brought the recipe back to the big apple and it has been enjoyed and copied ever since
Thousand Island Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup good quality mayonnaise, I prefer Best Food’s
- 1 medium to large sized shallot
- ¼ cup Heinz chili sauce
- 1 stalk celery (cut into 2″ pieces)
- 5 cornichons
- 2 thick slices of a red pepper
- 1 quartered hard boiled egg
Preparation
Put all ingredients (except egg) in blender. Cover and blend on a medium setting until vegetables are coarsely chopped (just a couple of seconds). Add egg. Cover and blend just until egg is chopped (another second). Look at these beautiful pale blue Aracuna chicken eggs I found with their rich orangey yolks, of course they enhanced the flavors and colors of the dressing.
And there you go. If you’ve been following SM for awhile you know I usually do more inspired platter presentations… but this was on Christmas Eve, after packing up components in the car and taking my grandson to present in the nativity scene at church, then positioning for oven time…. all good fun.
But no time for my usual garnishes.. it didn’t really matter they were all eaten in a matter of minutes!
