Coddled egg "Ivanhoe"
Any other smoked fish would work here: my favourite is smoked eel, which needs a touch less butter and probably horseradish instead of the mustard.
smoked haddock or other smoked fish 75g
double cream 20ml
dijon mustard 1 tsp
flat-leaf parsley a small handful, finely chopped
butter 20g, melted
egg 1 large (a duck egg is splendid)
salt and black pepper
toast 1 thick slice, to serve
Start by cooking the smoked haddock. (If using another smoked fish, it may not need cooking – just flake the flesh and skip to the next step.) Put the haddock in a shallow heatproof dish with a lid, season with salt and pepper, and cover with freshly boiled water.
Put the lid on and leave to stand: by the time the fish is cool enough to handle, it will be cooked. Flake the fish, removing any skin and bones. The fish-cooking liquor has excellent flavour and is worth keeping for anything you might need fish stock for – just bring it to the boil before chilling and freezing in ice-cube trays.
Meanwhile, mix the cream, mustard and parsley together. Grease the egg coddler, jar or ramekin with a little of the melted butter, then stir the rest of the butter into the parsley and cream mixture, along with the flaked fish. Put two-thirds of the fish mixture in the coddler, crack an egg on top and scatter the rest of the fish mixture on top, without breaking the yolk. Put the lid on the coddler or cover the ramekin tightly with foil; if using a jam jar, screw the lid on, but don’t tighten it too much.
Half-fill a saucepan with water and bring to a simmer, then lower the coddler into the pan – the water should come two-thirds of the way up the sides of the coddler. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the egg white is just set. Serve immediately with buttered toast.
Recipe courtesy of Rosie Sykes in The Guardian 2019
(“Ivanhoe” is a garnish from Robin McDouall’s Clubland Cooking.)
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/mar/25/20-best-recipes-meals-for-one-simon-hopkinson-dan-lepard-chicken-broth-salmon-eggs
