Spring salad of lamb neck fillet, citrus and watercress

Turn a cheap cut into something glorious

Serves

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

This lamb salad is a great light meal for three or four. The flavours are fresh and bright and salty feta and toasted pumpkin seeds add good texture. Boneless lamb neck fillet is great for this as it has some fat through it which keeps it juicy and moist, and the yoghurt and citrus help cut through the fat. You could also make it using lamb neck chops, loin or fillet, or serve it with left over roast leg or shoulder of lamb.

Peter Gordon – Recipes from Homeland Community Days

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Ingredients

600g Quality Mark boneless lamb neck fillets
trimmed of excess fat or sinew
sea salt
½ tsp fennel seeds
lightly crushed
½ tsp cumin seeds
lightly crushed
3 stalks curry leaves
discard the stems
olive oil
1 lemon
juiced and zested
1 tsp coconut sugar
⅓ cup plain unsweetened yoghurt
1 bunch watercressi
2 mandarins
½ cucumber
peeled and thinly sliced into discs
50g feta
crumbled
2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
toasted

Method

Lay the trimmed lamb neck fillets on a plate and lightly sprinkle with sea salt.

Pound the fennel and cumin seeds with a mortar and pestle, not too fine, and sprinkle over both sides of the lamb along with the curry leaves.

Drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil and make sure they’re evenly coated, leave on the bench for 15 minutes to come to room temperature.

Heat up a pan over medium-high heat and when hot place the lamb in and cook till dark golden.

Turn over, reduce the heat to medium and cook till dark golden again. If it needs a little oil added to the pan then drizzle a little on. In total this will take approximately 7 minutes to get it to medium. If you like your lamb cooked more then just keep it cooking – putting a lid on the pan will speed up cooking and prevent the lamb from drying out.

Once it’s cooked to your liking remove onto a clean plate and let rest for at least 6 minutes so the juices don’t escape.

While the lamb is cooking make the dressing. Mix the lemon zest and juice with the coconut sugar till dissolved. Stir in the yoghurt and then 1 Tablespoon olive oil, add salt to taste.

Scatter the watercress on a serving platter or bowl.

Peel the mandarins and cut each one into six crossways into rounds. Lay ⅔ of the slices on top of the watercress along with ⅔ the cucumber slices.

Slice the lamb ½ cm thick against the grain and lay this on top of the salad. Place the remaining mandarins and cucumber on top. Drizzle the dressing over all of the salad, then scatter with the feta and pumpkin seeds.