Whitby Kipper ‘Yorkshire Eggs’ with Pickled Cucumber and Rhubarb Relish
- For the pickled cucumber:
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp salt
- 200ml white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 4 cloves
- For the rhubarb relish:
- 250g sugar
- 100ml cider vinegar
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp allspice
- 500g Yorkshire rhubarb, finely chopped
- For the Yorkshire Eggs:
- 6 free-range hen’s eggs
- 400g kipper fillets
- 75g cream cheese
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ lemon, zested
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 spring onions, very finely sliced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Plain flour, for dusting
- 2-3 eggs, beaten
- 150g natural breadcrumbs
- Oil, for deep frying
- 75g Wensleydale cheese
For the pickled cucumber
1. Place the sliced cucumber and onion into a bowl, sprinkle over the salt, mix well, cover and refrigerate for two hours. Heat the vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds and cloves until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Rinse the salted cucumber and onion well, then place into a jar and pour over the pickling liquid. Seal the jar with a lid and leave for a minimum of 24 hours before using.
For the rhubarb relish
1. Place the sugar, vinegar, onion, ginger, salt and allspice into a pan and bring to the boil. Cook until the mixture is syrupy then add the rhubarb. Bring back to the boil, then cook on a low heat for around 30 to 40 minutes, or until the rhubarb has softened and any juices have reduced so the mixture resembles jam. This can be made well in advance and kept in airtight sterilised jars.
For the Yorkshire Eggs
1. Carefully lower the eggs into a pan of boiling water, then bring back to the boil and cook for five minutes. Immediately transfer the eggs to a bowl of iced water to cool.
2. Meanwhile, put the kipper fillets, cream cheese, egg yolk and lemon zest into a food processor. Blitz until very smooth then stir through the parsley, spring onion and black pepper to taste. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Carefully peel the soft-boiled eggs, then roll them in the flour and shake off any excess. Divide the chilled kipper mixture into six portions, then, working one at a time, gently mould it around the eggs. Place the Yorkshire Eggs back into the fridge to firm up. Put some more flour into a shallow bowl, the beaten egg in another and the breadcrumbs in a third.
4. Roll the Yorkshire Eggs in the flour, gently knocking off any excess, then dip them in the beaten egg, and finally coat them in the breadcrumbs. Heat some oil in a deep pan to 175°c and carefully lower each egg into the oil. Deep fry until golden in colour, about five to six minutes, then transfer them from the pan onto some kitchen paper to drain.
To serve
Place a few salad leaves and some pickled cucumber in the centre of each plate. Cut each Yorkshire Egg in half and sit the halves on the leaves, then crumble over the Wensleydale cheese and serve with a good spoonful of Yorkshire rhubarb relish on the side.
