Asian Salad with Sous Vide Duck Breast

This is a lighter way to enjoy duck breast. It's served with an Asian salad and hoisin dipping sauce, which maximizes the flavor of the duck. The duck breast is perfectly blushing pink when cooked at 57C. You don’t want to overcook it while rendering the fat at the end, so make sure the pan is extra hot.

Author

Christina Wylie

Christina Wylie is an award-winning writer, author, editor, food stylist, recipe creator, entrepreneur and radio host whose work has been featured in The Times & The Sunday Times, Time Out (Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong and Dubai), Traveler’s Digest, Fah Thai Magazine, Broadsheet, Wining & Dining and many other internationally renowned publications. In 2013, after almost a decade of working as an international journalist, Christina founded the online lifestyle magazine The GAB Magazine, for which she now leads a team of 60 writers based all across Australia. She then founded Samui Life Magazine in 2016. After working as a recipe creator for Anova Culinary for over a year, she signed a cookbook contract with the American-based, international publishing company Quarto. Her cookbook, titled The Sous Vide Kitchen: Techniques, Ideas, and More Than 100 Recipes to Cook at Home, was published worldwide in 2017. She wrote, styled, and photographed everything that you see within that book. In 2017 she opened her first restaurant, Bootlegger, in Koh Samui, Thailand. She is currently in the initial stages of launching Bootlegger 2 in Phuket in 2018, and is looking to open Bootlegger 3 in Bangkok in 2019. She is currently working towards stepping into the world of food and travel presenting. As an entrepreneur herself, Christina co-founded the charity initiative Project Gen Z in 2015 to teach orphaned Cambodian children entrepreneurial skills. A British expat born and raised in Hong Kong, Christina has worked across the globe, and has lived in Thailand, London, Hong Kong, Australia and South Africa over the years.

Prep Time: 00:30

Recipe Time: 01:00

Temperature : 134.6F / 57C

Ingredients

• 2 (5- to 6-ounce) duck breasts, cold
• Kosher salt
• 2 cups Chinese cabbage, sliced into thin strips
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2 red Thai chiles, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons fried shallots
• 2 tablespoons hoisin, for serving

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 134ºF (57ºC).
2. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat for 5 minutes. While the pan is heating, season the duck breasts with salt.
3. Add the duck to the hot skillet, skin side down, and cook until the fat begins to render, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
4. Transfer the seared duck to a large zipper lock or vacuum seal bag. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique or a vacuum sealer on the moist setting.
5. Place the bag in the water bath and set the timer for 1 hour.
6. About 10 minutes before the duck is finished, prepare the salad: Combine the cabbage, bean sprouts, carrot, cilantro, chiles, and sesame seeds in a large bowl.
7. In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Set aside for serving.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Remove the duck from the bag and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Return the cast iron skillet to high heat. Add the duck, skin side down, and sear until golden brown and fat has rendered, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.
3. Dress the salad and divide between 2 serving plates.
4. Thinly slice the duck and arrange slices on top of salad. Top with fried shallots and serve with hoisin sauce on the side.