Recipe, Crispy Pork Belly and Watermelon Salad, Chef Zak Pelaccio, Fatty Crab, West Village, Upper West Side, Fatty ‘Cue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Manhattan, How to make Fatty Crab’s Watermelon Salad, Recipe, Chef’s Recipes
What
Recipe for Crispy Pork Belly and Watermelon Salad from Fatty Crab chef/owner Zak Pelaccio.
Why
Much written about, still loved, this seemingly counter-intuitive combination of salty pork belly with cool refreshing watermelon makes perfect sense.
Fatty Crab & Fatty ‘Cue - New York, NY
Crispy Pork Belly & Watermelon Salad
Courtesy of chef Zak Pelaccio
Ingredients
Pork Belly
- 3 lbs raw, uncured pork belly, skin on
- 2 cups kecap manis
- 6 tablespoons of Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons of fish sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
Watermelon Salad
- 1 5-pound watermelon
- 2 cups rice wine vinegar
- 3 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 Thai chilies, thinly slice
- 2 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
- 1 round (1 ounce) of palm sugar or 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Dressing
- 1 ½ rounds of palm sugar (3 ounces) or 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 cup rice wine vinegar
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 4-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
- 6 cilantro roots and 1 inch of stems, cleaned and trimmed
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 cups of peanut oil for frying
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 3 scallions, trimmed and sliced
- 1 cup torn Vietnamese Coriander leaves
- 1 cup torn Thai basil leaves
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
Directions
Marinate Pork Belly
1) Use a sharp knife to cut Xs into the skin of the pork belly, each about ¼ inch deep and ½ inch apart.
2) Place the pork, skin side down, in a glass or Pyrex bowl or casserole.
3) Whisk together the kecap manis, vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and lime juice.
4) Pour over the pork belly, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours, turning several times.
Watermelon
1) Cut the flesh of the watermelon into 1-inch pieces (discarding whatever seeds you can without tearing into the watermelon cubes).
2) Refrigerate the flesh.
3) Remove the outer green skin of the rind and discard. Cut the white part of the rind into ½-inch cubes. Transfer the diced rind to a heatproof bowl.
4) In a saucepan over medium heat, combine rice wine vinegars, shallots, chilies, kaffir lime leaves, ginger, palm sugar, salt and 1 cup of water.
5) Bring to a boil and cook until sugar dissolves.
6) Strain the liquid over the diced rind. Let cool, and then chill for at least one hour or up to 2 days to pickle the rind.
Cook Pork Belly [This can be done a day ahead and refrigerated]
1) Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
2) Transfer the pork to a clean baking dish, skin side up.
3) Pour 2 cups of the marinade over and then add 2 cups of water, (the liquid should come halfway up the pork belly, if it doesn’t add a little more water or use a smaller pan).
4) Cover the pan with foil and bring to a boil on the stove top, the foil will slightly puff when the liquid is boiling.
5) Place pan in oven and braise until a skewer penetrates the pork with little to no resistance, between 4 to 5 hours.
6) Transfer pork to a rack set over a baking tray to cool.
7) When cool enough to handle, use a sharp straight-bladed knife to cut the pork belly into 1-inch chunks.
Dressing
1) Roughly crush the palm sugar using a mortar and pestle or a plastic bag and a rolling pin.
2) In a food processor, combine the sugar with the vinegar, limejuice, ginger, cilantro, garlic, and salt. Pulse until smooth and well combined.
3) In a large, straight-sided sauté pan or wok, heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees F.
4) Lightly dust the cubed pork belly with well-seasoned flour, shaking off the excess.
5) Working in batches, fry the pork belly until very crisp and a deep golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes.
6) Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel lined tray to drain. Season the fried pork with salt.
7) In a mixing bowl, toss the chilled watermelon flesh with enough dressing to coat.
Plate
1) Dividing the pork between 8 serving plates.
2) Top each with the watermelon flesh and a few cubes of the pickled rind.
3) Drizzle additional dressing around the plate.
4) Garnish each dish with scallions, coriander leaves, basil, and sesame seeds.
5) Serve immediately.
Chef’s Recipe | Crispy Pork Belly & Watermelon Salad
May 11, 2010
Who
Executive chef / owner of Fatty Crab and Fatty ‘Cue.
Why
Bringing outstanding international flavors to a New York audience.
BBQ / Southeast Asian
West Village
50 Carmine Street
New York, NY 10014
T: 212.929.5050
Website:
Hours:
Dinner
Daily: 5pm - 12am
Brunch
Sat - Sun: 11am - 3:30pm
Late Night
Thu - Sat: 12am - 2am
BBQ / Southeast Asian
Williamsburg
91 South 6th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211 (view map)
T: 718.599.3090
Website:
Hours:
Tue - Sun: 4pm - 12am
Indonesian / Malaysian
West Village
643 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014 (view map)
T: 212.352.3592
Website:
Hours:
Mon - Wed: 12pm - 12am
Thu - Fri: 12pm - 2am
Sat: 11am - 2am
Sun: 11am - 12am
Indonesian / Malaysian
Upper West Side
2170 Broadway
New York, NY 10024 (view map)
T: 212.496.2722 (make a reservation)
Website:
Hours:
Lunch
Mon - Fri: 11:30am - 3:30pm; 5pm - 11pm
Dinner
Thu - Sat: 5pm - 12am
Brunch
Sat: 11am - 4pm
Supper
Sun: 12am to 10am
Cookbooks
- Eat With Your Hands [buy it]
Recommended By
- Chef Gabe Thompson (dell’anima, L’Artusi, and Anfora)
- Sommelier Joe Campanale (dell’anima, L’Artusi, and Anfora)
Recommendations
Chef Zak Pelaccio’s recommendations on where to eat in Queens, Manhattan, and Austin, Texas.
Photographs courtesy of Fatty ‘Cue & Find. Eat. Drink.
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