Lamb Salad with Tangy Dressing

January 17, 2008

This is a one-dish meal for a lazy summer day. I used lamb for the main protein ingredient but you could substitute some beef eye fillet if you prefer, adjusting the cooking time to suit the thickness of the meat.

Another option is to use fresh sashimi grade tuna, cut into logs, rubbed with oil and spices then cooked in a hot pan briefly on each of its four sides till there is a thin layer of white cooked flesh but the interior remains uncooked. Cool then slice thinly. (You’ll find my recipe for Tuna Tataki here). Freshly cooked prawn tails are another choice.

The dressing is a Thai-style one with a perfect combination of flavours to complement a fresh salad. I like the addition of some baby cos lettuce for crispness.

Lamb salad

4 lamb backstraps
olive oil
lamb rub

Salad
1 large bag mixed salad greens
1 baby cos lettuce, coarsely shredded (optional)
1 Lebanese cucumber
4 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped into chunks
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
2 sticks celery, sliced diagonally
fresh coriander for garnish

Dressing
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander root
1 stick lemongrass
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
juice of 2 lime

Pat the lamb dry and smear with some olive oil. Sprinkle with the lamb rub of your choice and set aside for an hour.

Wash and dry the salad greens and place in a large bowl. Peel the cucumber, halve lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Slice. Add to the greens with the remaining salad ingredients apart from the coriander. Toss to combine then tip onto a large platter or shallow salad bowl.

For the dressing, discard the dry top half of the lemongrass stalk and any coarse leaves. Finely slice the tender lower part. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and gently sauté the lemongrass, garlic, chilli and coriander root for three minutes, then add the rice wine vinegar and sugar and swirl in the pan until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Check for flavour and adjust till you have the right mix of sweet, sour, salty and hot. Set aside.

Grill or barbecue the lamb for 2-3 minutes each side, depending on thickness. Set aside, loosely covered with some foil and a tea towel for five minutes. Finely slice the meat across the grain and distribute over the top of the salad. Strain the dressing and pour it over the lamb and garnish with sprigs of fresh coriander.

Serves 4.

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