Full question
I was unable to find lamb loin for the Anglo Asian Lamb Salad in Nigella Express. Can I substitute neck or shoulder fillet or are these cuts only good for slow cooking?
Our answer
Nigella's Anglo-Asian Lamb Salad (from NIGELLA EXPRESS) quickly cooks lamb loin and serves it medium-rare on a bed of salad leaves. It is the dressing, a combination of redcurrant jelly, soy sauce, fish sauce and rice vinegar, that gives the Anglo-Asian slant.
Lamb loin is sometimes labelled as lamb fillet, so you may find it labelled as this instead. Lamb neck fillets are cut from the muscle that goes from the top of the back to the shoulder. As it does a lot more work than the loin, it is tougher and well-suited to long, slow cooking. However, it can also be cooked and served rare to medium-rare and could be used for this dish. Neck fillets can be smaller than loin fillets, so you may need two to make 250g/9 ounces. You may also need to reduce the cooking time slightly to allow for the smaller size, and slice the neck fillet across the grain to serve. Don't cook the neck fillet beyond medium-rare as it will become tough. Lamb shoulder is too tough and fatty for this recipe, and isn't normally sold as fillets, but is wonderful if slow roasted, such as in the Warm Shredded Lamb Salad With Mint And Pomegranate
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