This crispy pork belly recipe is perfection in every bite. I’ve used a salt crust method to cut down on cooking time so you can achieve that signature crispiness in just about an hour. No need to wait all day for the pork belly to dry out in the fridge! 🙌 Give this one a go for a tasty Lunar New Year centrepiece (or anytime you’re in the mood for quick crispy pork belly!).

Prep time: 15mins
Cook time: 1hr
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

For the Pork Belly:

• 700-800g pork belly
  
• 2 Tbsp fennel seeds
  
• 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
  
• 1 tsp white peppercorns
  
• 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine (optional)
  
• 3/4 cup sea salt

For the Simple Spring Onion Salad:

• 4-5 spring onions (sectioned, sliced lengthways)
  
• 2 long red chillis (sliced)
  
• 2 tsp sugar
  
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
  
• Juice from 1/2 lime
  

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. In a spice grinder/mortar and pestle, roughly grind the fennel seeds, coriander seeds and white peppercorns. Mix the spices with Shaoxing wine and rub into the meat side of the pork belly. Place the pork belly skin side up on a piece of aluminium foil and fold the foil around the meat. Pat the skin dry, then spread the salt evenly across the skin to cover. Place the pork belly on a wire rack set over a roasting pan, fill the pan with 2 cups of water and place in the oven to roast for 40 minutes.
2. After 40 minutes, remove the pork belly from the oven and increase the temperature to 250C/480F. The salt should have formed a crust – remove this crust from the skin, wipe off any excess salt and brush with some neutral oil. Place pork belly back in oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the skin has bubbled up and is crispy. Remove the pork belly from the foil and stand for 10 minutes before slicing.
3. To make the simple spring onion salad, place the sliced spring onions in ice water for 5 minutes until curly. Drain, then add the curled spring onions to a bowl with red chillis, sugar, lime juice and rice vinegar. Toss to combine and set aside.
4. To serve, add the spring onion salad to a plate and top with the sliced pork belly. Devour immediately.