Inspired by a salad Chef David Hawksworth first encountered while working in London, this crispy duck salad pairs roasted Peking duck with peppery watercress, crisp vegetables and two bold Asian-inspired dressings. It’s a restaurant-worthy dish that’s surprisingly achievable at home.

I was working in London, I heard of a salad like this on the menu at Le Caprice, in St. James’s. It got started with chefs eating out in Chinatown, coming back to the restaurant with some whole barbecued ducks, breaking them down, and deep-frying the meat crispy. So later at West, we did our own version with the crispy duck tossed in a sweet and tangy dressing made with ketchup, soy sauce and honey, with a spicy, crunchy salad of watercress, carrot and daikon. –Chef David Hawksworth

Crispy Duck Salad

Chef David Hawksworth

Chef David Hawksworth’s crispy duck salad combines roasted Peking duck with watercress, carrot, daikon and beet, finished with a sweet duck dressing and soy-ginger vinaigrette.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Roasted Duck

½ Peking duck
1 tbsp five spice powder
sea salt
½ orange peel on, sliced
1 knob ginger about 7.5 cm/3 in, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic sliced
2 star anise pods

Soy & Ginger Vinaigrette

½ cup grapeseed oil
3 tbsp sesame oil
5 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp finely grated ginger
1 lime juiced

Duck Dressing

¾ cup ketchup
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp black sesame seeds
½ orange juice

Crispy Duck Salad

2 cups canola oil
1 carrot
½ small daikon radish
1 small beet
6 cups watercress
⅛ cup crispy onions or shallots
black and white sesame seeds toasted, for garnish

Instructions

Roasted Duck

Preheat the oven to 250°F (120ºC). Season the Peking duck with the five spice powder and salt.
Place the orange slices, ginger, garlic and star anise in a roasting pan, with the duck on top. Roast for 1½ to 2 hours, until the skin is golden brown and crispy.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest on a wire rack until cool enough to handle. Carve the duck: cut the breast into ⅜ in thick (0.75 cm) slices, and pull the leg meat into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Soy & Ginger Vinaigrette

Whisk together all of the ingredients.

Duck Dressing

Whisk together all of the ingredients.

Crispy Duck Salad

Heat the canola oil to 350°F (175°C) in a pot large enough that it is not more than half full. Fry the sliced duck in batches until crispy, about 1 to 1½ minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, add the duck dressing and toss to coat.
Peel the carrot, daikon and beet, and cut into fine julienne strips or ribbons using a spiralizer. Mix with the watercress and toss with some of the soy and ginger vinaigrette. Divide between 6 serving plates. Top with crispy fried duck and garnish with crispy onions and sesame seeds.

Keyword crispy duck salad, peking duck, Peking Duck Salad, soy ginger dressing

Excerpted from Hawksworth by David Hawksworth, Jacob Richler and Stéphanie Nöel. Copyright © 2020 David Hawksworth. Photography by Clinton Hussey. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.