Duration
30 minutes
Serves
2
Vietnamese cabbage salad, or slaw, is a staple at gatherings. This crunchy, refreshing dish strikes a balance between salty, sweet, spicy, and sour, thanks to a traditional Vietnamese dressing made of fish sauce, lime, and chili. Shredded chicken is the most typical protein, but duck is wonderful as well.
One ingredient I did omit is Vietnamese coriander. I love it, but even in Omaha, it can be difficult to find. If you’re lucky to live near a well-stocked Vietnamese grocer, add a few leaves to the salad for a more authentic flavor. Cilantro and mint make a perfectly acceptable substitute.
If you don’t want to make fried shallots—I have a penchant for burning them—or can’t find them pre-made in a container or bag at the Asian grocery store, you can use French’s crispy fried onion. It’s the same idea and won’t hurt the salad.
Ingredients
- Skin-on breasts and legs from 1 mallard (or similar)
- 1 tbsp. olive oil or duck fat
- 3 cups of shredded green cabbage
- Thinly sliced red onion, to taste
- 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
- ¼ cup mint leaves
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
- Handful of honey-roasted peanuts, crushed
- Fried shallot, store-bought or homemade
Salad Dressing
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbs. sugar
- 2 tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 tbsp. lime juice
- 1 tbsp. water
- Sambal Oelek Ground Fresh Chili Paste, to taste
Also works with
Preparation
- Before cooking, set cold duck on the counter for 1 to 2 hours prior to cooking. To make the salad dressing, crush garlic and sugar with a mortar and pestle to make a paste. Then, stir in fish sauce, lime juice, water, and chili paste. Set aside.
- Season duck breasts and legs with salt. Heat oil or fat in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, pat duck pieces dry with paper towels and sear breasts for about 3 minutes on each side, plus 1 minute on the thick edge, for medium rare. The legs will take a couple minutes on each side. Or, cook to your liking. Remove the duck from pan and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Add cabbage, red onion, carrot, cilantro, and mint leaves in a salad bowl. Rip up mint leaves if they’re big. Toss with chili-lime dressing to taste—it’s strong, so don’t dump the whole thing in at once. Sprinkle crushed peanuts and fried shallots on top. Slice duck breasts against the grain and serve with salad.
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Vietnamese cabbage salad, or slaw, is a staple at gatherings. This crunchy, refreshing dish strikes a balance between salty, sweet, spicy, and sour, thanks to a traditional Vietnamese dressing made of fish sauce, lime, and chili. Shredded chicken is the most typical protein, but duck is wonderful as well.
One ingredient I did omit is Vietnamese coriander. I love it, but even in Omaha, it can be difficult to find. If you’re lucky to live near a well-stocked Vietnamese grocer, add a few leaves to the salad for a more authentic flavor. Cilantro and mint make a perfectly acceptable substitute.
If you don’t want to make fried shallots—I have a penchant for burning them—or can’t find them pre-made in a container or bag at the Asian grocery store, you can use French’s crispy fried onion. It’s the same idea and won’t hurt the salad.
Ingredients
- Skin-on breasts and legs from 1 mallard (or similar)
- 1 tbsp. olive oil or duck fat
- 3 cups of shredded green cabbage
- Thinly sliced red onion, to taste
- 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
- ¼ cup mint leaves
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
- Handful of honey-roasted peanuts, crushed
- Fried shallot, store-bought or homemade
Salad Dressing
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbs. sugar
- 2 tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 tbsp. lime juice
- 1 tbsp. water
- Sambal Oelek Ground Fresh Chili Paste, to taste
Also works with
Preparation
- Before cooking, set cold duck on the counter for 1 to 2 hours prior to cooking. To make the salad dressing, crush garlic and sugar with a mortar and pestle to make a paste. Then, stir in fish sauce, lime juice, water, and chili paste. Set aside.
- Season duck breasts and legs with salt. Heat oil or fat in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, pat duck pieces dry with paper towels and sear breasts for about 3 minutes on each side, plus 1 minute on the thick edge, for medium rare. The legs will take a couple minutes on each side. Or, cook to your liking. Remove the duck from pan and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Add cabbage, red onion, carrot, cilantro, and mint leaves in a salad bowl. Rip up mint leaves if they’re big. Toss with chili-lime dressing to taste—it’s strong, so don’t dump the whole thing in at once. Sprinkle crushed peanuts and fried shallots on top. Slice duck breasts against the grain and serve with salad.