Duck egg with smoked salmon and asparagus

Duck egg with smoked salmon and asparagus

A delightful twist on smoked salmon and scrambled egg

MARK STOWER, DIRECTOR OF FOOD AND SERVICE

  • Preparation time: 10 MINS
  • Cooking time: 30 MINS
  • Serves: 6

Method

STEP 1

Remove the duck eggs from the box, take off its top and save it for later.

STEP 2

Carefully make an incision around the top of each egg with a sharp, pointed knife, as you would with a soft-boiled egg, and take the top off. Pour the egg inside into a bowl and reserve for later. Put the shells into the egg box and place into an oven for 15 minutes at 100°C to kill any bacteria.

STEP 3

Next, peal the outside of the asparagus spears to reveal the lovely green inside. Sprinkle with a little olive oil and cracked black pepper and reserve for later.

STEP 4

Divide the smoked salmon evenly between 6 plates, placing it to one side of each plate. Place an egg cup next to this, ready for the duck eggs.

STEP 5

Place a griddle on the stove and heat.

STEP 6

Season the eggs with salt and pepper and give them a good mix with a whisk. Melt the butter in a pan and add the eggs. Cook slowly on a low heat moving the eggs continuously with a spoon. When the eggs are scrambled, remove from the stove and add the cream. This will stop the cooking process and add richness to the eggs.

STEP 7

Spoon the scrambled eggs back into each egg shell and return to the egg box. Place in the oven on 100C to keep them warm.

STEP 8

Now griddle the asparagus spears for 2 minutes until they have taken on that burnt griddle flavour. Place on the plates next to the salmon. Remove the eggs from the oven and place in the egg cup.

STEP 9

Garnish the salmon and asparagus spears with a drizzle of olive oil and some pea shoots and serve.

Nutrition

Asparagus is a flowering perennial plant and has been used as a vegetable since ancient times, with evidence from ancient Egyptian friezes and from a recipe in the oldest known cookery book – from Ancient Rome. Asparagus was also used as a diuretic medicine by the Romans.It only appears to have been eaten in England from around the time of Henry VIII.We usually prefer green asparagus in the UK, but in Germany and some other parts of mainland Europe, white asparagus is prized.  The green and white varieties are distinct, and the white asparagus plants are grown in the dark by covering them in soil when the shoots appear.Asparagus is very low in calories and full of vitamins and minerals including iron. About five to seven spears would count as one of your 5 a day.