Susan Jung’s recipe for seared lamb tongue and fennel salad

Prepared correctly, tongue is a delicious meat: it’s tender, smooth and mild. Many people recoil at the thought of eating tongue, though, probably because it’s organ meat.

Like other organ meats, tongue takes a bit of effort; after boiling it, you need to strip off the skin (it comes off easily when the meat is hot), then remove the bones. (Sometimes, the tongue will be fully clean­ed, with the inedible parts trimmed off.)

This recipe was inspired by a dish I tasted at The Chairman, in Central. It’s worth buying a few extra lamb tongues (they’re small) and cooking them at the same time; the leftover meat is delicious when thinly sliced then used in sandwiches with rye bread and grainy mustard.

Seared lamb tongue and fennel salad with spicy and numbing dressing

You can buy lamb tongues at shops selling halal and kosher meats, and from some butcher shops; you may need to order it in advance. Pork tongue is good, too, although it’s bigger and the flavour is stronger.