Name: Crisp-skin duck with green papaya salad
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tbsp grapeseed oil; 4 duck breasts, patted dry; Green papaya salad; 3 garlic cloves; 1 anchovy fillet; 3 tbsp unsalted peanuts; 1-2 birdseye chillies, chopped; 200 gm cherry tomatoes, halved; 1½ tbsp crushed palm sugar or caster sugar; 2 tbsp fish sauce; 60 ml (¼ cup) lime juice; 3 cups green papaya, cut into julienne on a mandoline; 1 cup (loosely packed) coriander; 1 cup (loosely packed) Thai basil; 1 cup (loosely packed) round mint

Crisp-skin duck with green papaya salad

Crisp-skin duck with green papaya salad recipe - Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Season duck well and place skin-side down in pan.

Serves 4

Prep

12M

Cook

18M

Total

30M

Duck pairs perfectly with this sweet, hot and sour salad. Rendering the fat from the duck breasts in a pan over low heat for as long as possible ensures the skin is extra crisp – it makes all the difference. Strain off the fat and keep it for your next batch of roast potatoes.

Ingredients

1 tbsp grapeseed oil

4 duck breasts, patted dry

Green papaya salad

3 garlic cloves

1 anchovy fillet

3 tbsp unsalted peanuts

1-2 birdseye chillies, chopped

200 gm cherry tomatoes, halved

1½ tbsp crushed palm sugar or caster sugar

2 tbsp fish sauce

60 ml (¼ cup) lime juice

3 cups green papaya, cut into julienne on a mandoline

1 cup (loosely packed) coriander

1 cup (loosely packed) Thai basil

1 cup (loosely packed) round mint

Method

Main

1.Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Season duck well and place skin-side down in pan. Reduce heat to low, top duck with baking paper and weigh down with a heavy saucepan. Fry to render fat, pouring it from pan occasionally, until skin is thin and crisp (12-15 minutes; reserve fat for another use). Turn duck over, increase heat to high and fry until well browned and cooked to your liking (1-2 minutes for medium). Rest for 5 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, for green papaya salad, pound garlic and anchovy to a paste with a mortar and pestle. Add peanuts, chilli and lime rind and crush to a coarse paste. Transfer to a bowl, add tomatoes and lightly crush. Season with sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. Add papaya and herbs, toss to combine and season to taste. Slice duck and toss it through salad to serve.

Maxwell Adey Senior Food Editor & Stylist

Maxwell has always been passionate about food. Born into a restaurateur and award-winning produce farming family, he was strongly steered into pursuing a career in advertising after completing his Bachelor of Public Communication at University of Technology, Sydney. After a very short stint, he decided to enrol in Commercial Cookery at TAFE to follow his true passion. Maxwell started out working in some of Sydney’s finest restaurants (Est., Claude’s and Moon Park) which helped further his love of all things culinary and developed his technical ability to cook. Later, he was lured into the magical world of food publishing where he freelanced for ten years for notable Australian commercial and editorial brands. He has also run his own business where he sells his marinated olives, dressings and sauces at food markets and select retailers. He excitingly joins the Gourmet Traveller team to bring his technical and creative expertise in food to the brand.

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Styling by Emma Knowles