Pork Belly & Grapefruit Salad
This is an almighty long step for midweek, BUT you could do the pork ahead, cube it, store it in the fridge and just reheat on a paper-lined tray on the day. Heavenly crispy pork belly bites either way.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 30 minutes (plus salting overnight)
Cook time: 2 hours
INGREDIENTS
800g boneless pork belly
boiling water
salt, for seasoning
cooking oil
flake sea salt
1/4 cabbage, finely chopped or diced
1 large or 2 small ruby red grapefruits, segmented or sliced
1/2 bunch each fresh mint, coriander, and basil (or Thai basil)
3 spring onions, sliced from white to green tips
2 cups beansprouts, tails removed (optional)
For the dressing
3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
juice of 2 limes
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
METHOD
Place the pork belly on a cooling rack over the sink. Pour an entire kettle of boiling water over the skin to tighten it and remove moisture. Heavily salt the skin, then allow the pork to air dry, uncovered, in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan-forced. Rinse the salt from the pork skin, then thoroughly oil it and sprinkle with flake sea salt. Place on a paper-lined tray, skin side up, and roast for half an hour to crackle the skin.
Reduce the oven to 160°C and continue cooking for a further 1.5 hours. Remove from the oven and rest.
Meanwhile, in a large salad bowl, combine the cabbage, grapefruit segments, picked herb leaves, and spring onions. Remove the stringy tails from the beansprouts if desired.
Mix all the dressing ingredients together, adjusting to taste for a sweet and tangy balance.
Cube the crispy pork and add it to the salad. Toss everything well with the dressing.
HINTS
The long roast is genuinely worth doing ahead - crisp pork belly cubes reheat beautifully on a paper-lined tray and lose none of their crackle.
Drying the pork skin thoroughly before the salt and oil step is the real key to good crackling - don't rush that overnight or hour-long air-dry.
Pick the herbs whole rather than chopping them; this salad is meant to feel loose and herby, not finely minced.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 4 - guide only):
Energy: 19,800 kJ (4730 cal)
Protein: 80 g
Fat: 440 g
Saturated fat: 160 g
Carbohydrate: 90 g
Sugars: 60 g
Fibre: 15 g
Sodium: 3000 mg
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.