As you know by now, I am a big believer in getting my meat from a whole animal because you get more for your money when you break it down yourself. For example, my latest video on How to Quarter a Chicken shows you how to do just that. And on my recent Adventure Getaway I spent a lot of time butchering wild boar with the ladies who attended. We had a lot of meat to go around and the attendees went home with a good amount of meat in their coolers to try out some recipes. Here is one that I whipped up that turned out quite well, a Honey Orange Wild Boar with Fennel Herb Salad, that is perfect for spring weather when the herbs begin to pop up and the weather warms.
Honey Orange Wild Boar with Fennel Herb Salad:
The medley of herbs in this recipe dance in your mouth, especially the mint which always reminds me of spring weather and gets me excited for warm weather dishes.
The thinly sliced red chili pepper adds just the right amount of heat, especially because I took out the seeds so the spice didn’t overwhelm the dish.
There is a nice balance between the tang of the vinegar and the sweetness of the orange dressing which I love here. You could even make it a little more tangy by adding another splash of vinegar at the end.
This is my new go-to spring and summer dish because it is vibrant with flavor and color and is great served room temperature. It would also be wonderful with regular pork loin, chicken, salmon, shrimp, or any other white meat or fish you slice or cube.
What’s your favorite spring and summer weather dish? Have you ever made wild boar before? Share with me in the comments!
Honey Orange Wild Boar with Fennel Herb Salad
Ingredients
- 1 orange cut into wedges with skin on
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 pinch saffron threads optional
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 2 small fennel bulbs thinly sliced
- 1 cup cilantro leaves torn or roughly chopped
- 2/3 cup basil leaves torn or roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup mint leaves torn or roughly chopped
- 1 red chile pepper seeds removed and thinly sliced
- 1/2 – 3/4 lb wild boar loin
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons sunflower or grape seed oil
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
Instructions
- In a saucepan, simmer the orange wedges in honey, vinegar and water and cook until reduced to 3 tablespoons. Remove from heat and blend in a food processor or blender and set aside.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the fennel, herbs and red chile pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Heat an oven safe pan on the stove top with the sunflower or grape seed oil until very hot. Season the loin with salt and pepper on all sides. Sear in the pan and brown well on all sides. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from oven with an oven mitt and let the loin rest on a cutting board covered in foil for at least 15 minutes.
- Thinly slice the boar loin and add to the bowl of fennel and herbs. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic and only half of the orange sauce and toss well. You can store the remaining orange sauce in an air tight container in the refrigerator and use it on baked chicken or fish or even over ice cream.
- Taste the salad for balance and add more vinegar, salt, etc to taste. Serve and enjoy!
