This potted smoked salmon makes a very stylish meal. We have a lot of great fish producers. This works well with smoked fish also. You could try trout from Goatsbridge in Co Kilkenny. And there is the wonderful Burren Smokehouse in Clare run by Birgitta and Peter Curtin. I like to use smoked salmon and make simple canapés with toasted bread. The horseradish gives that nice kick and Grahams in Slane make great products.

Since day one in MacNean our duck has been supplied by Ken and Sorcha Moffitt of Thornhill Duck. So that is 30 years this year and they are so consistent. Hard work and high standards always. We have never had a menu in all those years where we did not have Thornhill Duck, either as a starter or main course.

This sticky duck breasts recipe is a popular one in the cookery school. Chinese five spice powder is worth trying. Kecap manis is a sweet Indonesian soy sauce that you will find in any Asian shop and it is good with stir fries or mince, so it’s worth buying. I use it a lot at home. This recipe is also good with good-quality Irish pork chops.

Happy cooking,

Neven

Potted poached salmon with sourdough toasts. \ Photography: Philip Doyle. Food styling: Sharon Hearne-Smith

Recipes

Potted poached salmon with sourdough toasts

Serves eight to 12

180g (6 ¼oz) carton full fat cream cheese

4 tbsp crème fraiche or sour cream

1 tbsp creamed horseradish

500g (1 ¼lb) poached salmon fillet, all skin and bones removed

2 fresh dill sprigs, finely chopped

15g fresh chives, finely chopped

juice of ½ lemon

freshly ground black pepper

slices of toasted sourdough or white baguette, lambs lettuce, quartered radishes and sliced gherkins, to serve

  • 1 Mash the cream cheese in a large bowl with the crème fraiche or sour cream and horseradish. Flake in the poached salmon and add the dill, chives and lemon juice. Season with pepper and gently fold together until evenly combined.
  • 2 Spoon the potted salmon into jars or ramekins and serve with the slices of toasted sourdough or white baguette, lamb’s lettuce, radishes and gherkins.
  • Oriental sticky duck breasts with figs

    Serves four to six

    4–6 x 175g (6oz) Peking duck breasts

    1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

    4 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)

    2 tbsp clear honey

    2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

    1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

    4-6 firm ripe figs, sliced in half

    sea salt

    steamed fragrant rice sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, to serve

  • 1 Trim down the fat from each duck breast to give a nice neat shape and then score the skin in a diagonal diamond pattern with a sharp knife. Put the chilli, kecap manis, honey and balsamic vinegar into a shallow dish, or use a large zip-lock bag. Add the duck and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight.
  • 2 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark six). Remove the duck from the marinade, reserving the remaining liquid in a small pan. Dry the duck breasts well with kitchen paper and then season them all over with salt and the five-spice powder.
  • 3 Heat a large heavy-based ovenproof frying pan (you may need two depending on their size) until it’s quite hot. Add the duck breasts, skin side down, lower the heat to medium and cook for three to four minutes, until the skin is crisp and golden brown. Spoon off any excess fat.
  • 4 Turn the duck breasts over and add the figs, tossing them to coat in the juices in the pan. Transfer the pan to the oven for 10 minutes, or a little longer if you don’t like your duck too pink.
  • 5 Meanwhile, bring the rest of the marinade to a simmer and reduce until slightly thickened.
  • 6 Remove the duck and figs from the oven and cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
  • 7 Slice each duck breast on the diagonal and transfer each one to a warmed plate with the figs, then spoon over the reduced down marinade. Put a bowl of steamed fragrant rice sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds alongside each one to serve.