Duck & Fig Salad with Persian Fetta

Name: Duck & Fig Salad
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 1 duck breast, skin on (about 230g/8oz); ½ head oak leaf lettuce, washed and dried; 2 ripe figs, cut into eighths; 60g Persian fetta; About ¼ preserved lemon, skin only finely-chopped; Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

This easy duck and fig salad is delicious and looks beautiful, perfect for a casual family meal or a dinner party. Preserved lemons are the surprise seasoning, their salty tang balances the sweetness of the figs and creaminess of the Persian fetta. They can vary greatly in size; I use about 2 teaspoons of finely chopped skin. Duck and fig salad is such a simple dish it’s more assembly than cooking, so take my quantities as a guide and add more or less of what you like. I don’t generally combine fruit with meat, but make an exception for duck, which I also enjoy as a salad with peaches or oranges. Anselmi San Vincenzo, a mouth-filling blend of garganega, chardonnay and sauv blanc from Veneto, turns this duck and fig salad into an even memorable feast! See the video below for a step-by-step guide to cooking crispy skin dust breast.

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a light main course

Ingredients

1 duck breast, skin on (about 230g/8oz)
½ head oak leaf lettuce, washed and dried
2 ripe figs, cut into eighths
60g Persian fetta
About ¼ preserved lemon, skin only finely-chopped
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Crusty bread, for serving

If you can’t be bothered making your own preserved lemons, try Zee’s Love in a Jar, they’re excellent.

Method

Remove duck from the fridge 30–60 minutes before cooking.
Pat duck skin dry with paper towel then use a very sharp knife to cut fine diagonal score marks through the skin in a criss-cross pattern, without cutting into the meat.
Place in a small frying pan, skin side-down and set aside for 30–60 minutes to come to room temperature.
Place over medium-high heat and salt flesh generously.
Cook for about 5 minutes, pouring off the fat as it melts, until skin is dark golden (reserve the fat for cooking potatoes).
Meanwhile, cover a platter with lettuce leaves.
Turn duck over, reduce heat to medium, salt skin generously and cook for a further 6–8 minutes (depending on thickness), until internal temperature registers 55-60°C (130–140°F) on a probe thermometer for medium rare.
Remove duck to a plate, skin side up, and set aside in a warm place for a few minutes.
Cut duck on the diagonal into thin slices.
Arrange duck and fig on the lettuce.
Dot fetta over the figs and around the lettuce then scatter with preserved lemon.
Drizzle with oil and serve duck and fig salad with crusty bread.