Vietnamese caramel salmon & Roast duck lettuce cups
Today at The Food Show I shared two of my favourite summer recipes — Vietnamese Caramel Salmon & Roast Duck Lettuce Cups. Both fresh and full of flavour – they're real crowd pleasers! Follow the recipes below to cook them at home.
Vietnamese Caramel Salmon
The salty-sweet South-East Asian caramel flavour pairs beautifully with the richness of the salmon and the sourness of the lime in this quick and easy noodle dish. Add freshness with seasonal greens and you’ve got yourself a winning everyday meal — any leftovers will be great for lunch the following day, too. Serve with steamed jasmine rice as an alternative to rice noodles.
Ingredients
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 tbsp fish sauce
100g broccolini, or other seasonal greens
¼ cup cracked black pepper
400g fresh salmon, skin-on and pin-boned, cut into
4 even-sized fillets
2 tbsp sesame oil
300g wide rice noodles
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
Handful coriander leaves
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 fresh red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
Lime wedges, to serve
Makes 4 serves
Takes 25 minutes
Gluten-free | Dairy-free
Method
To make the Vietnamese caramel, place the sugar and water in
a small saucepan over medium heat, Boil, without stirring, until
it turns a light golden brown, swirling the pan every once in a
while to ensure the colour is even. Remove from the heat and add 2 more tablespoons of water and the fish sauce (it’ll bubble furiously and darken in colour). Once the caramel has stopped bubbling, mix well and allow to cool.
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Trim broccolini and add to the pot with a pinch of salt. Cook for 2–3 minutes until just blanched. Drain and refresh in ice-cold water. Put to one side.
Place the pepper on a plate and press the salmon flesh-side down into the pepper to coat the flesh.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat.
Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil and place the salmon fillets pepper-side down in the pan. Cook for 3 minutes before turning skin-side down and cook for 5 more minutes or until just cooked through.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of boiling water to the boil. Cook rice noodles according to packet instructions. Drain and toss with remaining sesame oil.
Divide the noodles between 4 bowls and top each bowl with a piece of salmon, some broccolini and a generous drizzle of caramel. Scatter over kaffir lime, coriander, spring onion, fresh chilli and serve with lime wedges.
Roast duck lettuce cups
Asian duck ‘tacos’? Yes, please! These wraps are an easy way to get the taste of Peking duck we all crave, without the hassle. And the lettuce cups are a healthy addition. Serve these up as a main meal, or as a fresh and healthy nibble at your next gathering.
Ingredients
Marinade
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled & grated
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp Chinese five spice
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp rice bran oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
4 duck legs
1 spring onion
100g vermicelli noodles, cooked
½ cucumber, cut into matchsticks
2 baby cos lettuces, leaves separated
2–3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp sesame seeds,
Small handful coriander leaves
Makes 4 serves
Takes 50 minutes plus marinating time
Method
Place all of the marinade ingredients in a sealable bag, and rub to combine. Add duck legs to the bag, seal it and place it in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour.
Thinly slice spring onions into long strips and place in a small bowl of iced water for 30 minutes, until curly. Drain and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 180°C.
Place duck legs and marinade in a roasting tray. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the heat up to 200°C and cook for a further 10 minutes, until skin is crispy and duck is cooked through. Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes. Once they’re cool enough to handle, shred the meat off the duck.
To serve, divide noodles, duck, cucumber and spring onion evenly between lettuce cups and drizzle with second amount of hoisin sauce. Scatter over sesame seeds and coriander leaves. Alternatively, serve up
all of the components in small bowls and let people help themselves!