Duck and watermelon salad
This fresh duck salad with a zingy soy and lime dressing is the prefect lunch or light dinner meal.
Ingredients
For the salad
- 3 duck breasts, skin on
- groundnut or sunflower oil, for deep frying
- 450g/1lb watermelon, peeled, seeds removed and cut into 3cm/1¼in cubes
- 100g/3½oz red radishes, thinly sliced
- 40²µ/1½´Ç³ú beansprouts, rinsed
- 2 handfuls watercress, thick stems removed
- large handful fresh mint leaves
- large handful fresh coriander leaves
- 4 spring onions, sliced diagonally
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted cashews, dry-roasted
For the dressing
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 bird's-eye chillies, finely chopped
- ½ tsp palm sugar (or caster sugar)
Method
To make the salad, place a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the duck breasts, skin-side down, for 3–4 minutes, until the skin is golden and crisp. Transfer to a board and leave to cool.
To make the dressing, mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
Cut the meat from the duck breasts into 2.5cm/1in cubes. Preheat a deep fat fryer to 170C or heat 4–5cm/1½–2inches of oil in a deep frying pan to the same temperature, or until a cube of bread turns golden in 30 seconds. Fry the duck, in three batches, for about 2–3 minutes or until crisp. Drain briefly on kitchen paper.
Mix together the watermelon, radish, beansprouts, watercress, herbs, spring onions and cashews in a salad bowl. Add the duck and dressing, toss lightly and serve.