Food

Beef Tongue, Watercress, and Mustard Salad Recipe

Slightly spicy Dijon combines perfectly with grilled tongue in this simple, yet hearty, salad.
tongue-salad-recipe
Photo by Farideh Sadeghin

Servings: 6-8
Prep time: 1 hour
Total time: 18-24 hours (salting tongue overnight)

Ingredients

for the tongue:
1 beef tongue
kosher salt, to taste
canola oil, to cover
Maldon salt, to taste

for the salad:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons canola oil (reserved from confit)
¼ loaf day old bread, cut into ½-inch thick pieces (about 4 ounces|125 grams)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
2 bunches nice watercress
1 shallot, sliced into rings
½ bunch parsley, leaves picked
small handful capers
Maldon salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Prepare and cook the tongue: Wash the tongue thoroughly in cold water. Pat dry and place on a sheet tray. Generously salt all over, then refrigerate, uncovered, overnight.
  2. The next day, heat the oven to 225°F. Place the tongue in a Dutch oven pan and pour enough oil over to cover. Cover to wrap in plastic wrap (you can wrap it a few times to seal it, don’t worry, it won’t melt!) and cook until the internal temperature of the tongue reaches 190°F, about 6 hours. Cool completely in the oil.
  3. Peel the membrane from the tongue and slice into ¾-inch thick slices.
  4. Light a grill and oil the tongue all over. Grill the tongue, flipping once, until charred, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes, then cut into ½-inch thick pieces. Season with salt and set aside.
  5. Make the salad: Melt the butter and reserved canola oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the cubes of bread and cook, turning the bread as needed, until golden all over, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season all over with salt. Cool to room temperature.
  6. In a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, oil, and lemon juice. Add in the tongue, croutons, watercress, shallot, parsley, and capers and toss until evenly dressed. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

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