Fresh Duck Eggs are a New Breakfast Option

In the Philippines, boiled fertilized duck eggs, or balut, are sold on the street as a high-protein delicacy surrounded by aphrodisiac intrigue. Duck eggs are also a daily part of diets all over Southeast Asia, and can be bought salted and preserved in Asian supermarkets in the United States.

In Santa Cruz County though, duck eggs are rare. You won't find them on the menu of any of the hundreds of breakfast joints in the area. However, you will find them at local farmers markets.

Mello-dy Ranch sells duck eggs right alongside their pasture raised chicken eggs at both the Aptos and Downtown Markets. They are produced by happy, pasture-raised ducks in the foothills of Watsonville. Larger and slightly more oblong than your average chicken egg, duck eggs have a prehistoric look to them, with their faintly speckled, off-white shells. And no, they are not fertilized, so you won't find any unplanned duck embryos inside Mello-dy Ranch's eggs. I Promise.

So, you eat them just like a chicken egg? Yes. Do they taste the same? No, they taste better, assured Darlene Mora, owner of Mello-dy Ranch.

"You can eat them any way you would eat an egg, poached, fried, sunny side up, and if you're a yolk person, you will definitely be a fan," said Mora.

I am, in fact, a "yolk person," so I forked over the $3.50 in exchange for six strange eggs. 

After a few hard knocks, the duck shell cracked open and I realized what Mora was talking about: a comically-huge orange egg yolk skirted across the frying pan, surrounded by a pool of gorgeous whites. Mostly for photo purposes, I decided to try for a sunny side up. A sunny side up so large it looked like it could cure the worst cases of Monday blues.

After ogling the mysteriously large egg from all angles, I finally decided to break that huge yolk and let the oozing begin.  The lightly fried duck egg tastes similar to a chicken egg, but in no way the same. The yolk is yolkier, and the whites have an awesomely pliant texture far superior to chicken egg whites. The duck egg experience though, is like a chicken egg experience times ten, so be ready, and be really, really hungry. They would be a good breakfast pre-triathlon or other insane physically demanding activity.

According to Livestrong, the average 130 calorie duck egg provides 158 percent of your daily recommended B12 vitamin, 46 percent of the daily recommended Selenium intake, and nine grams of protein. The egg yolkcontains 9.5 grams of fat, though, and just like the bird it comes from, is high in cholesterol — 619 mg high. That is about twice the daily cholesterol intake recommended by the American Heart Association.

But as long as you are in good health and aren't eating them every day, duck eggs seem like a beneficial and delicious indulgence. If you cook them sunny side up, try covering the frying pan so that the top of the whites will cook, but don't over cook, warns Mora, since duck eggs have a lot of rubbery potential. Mora also recommends substituting duck eggs instead of chicken eggs in any baking recipe for richer flavor and a moister consistency.

About the grower:

Mello-dy Ranch is a five-generation family farm that began in 1867 by immigrants from Portugal. Located in the foothills of Watsonville, they grow apricots, lemons, cucumbers, pears, corn, blueberries, raspberries, chestnuts and eucalyptus for wreaths. They are currently bringing fresh pasture-raised chicken and duck eggs, raspberries and delectable jams and simple syrups made from their fruit to the Aptos and Downtown Markets. They are a no-spray operation.