Name: Soft Shell Crab Salted Eggs Benedict
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Breakfast
Ingredients: 150 g Unsalted Butter; 3 Egg; 1 tsp White Wine Vinegar; 1 Tbsp Salted Egg Powder; Lemon Juice; Salt; White Pepper; Cooking Oil; 200 g Plain Flour; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Salted Egg Powder; 1 Egg; 4 Soft Shell Crabs; 315 ml Soda Water; 4 Eggs; 1 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar; 2 slices Sourdough Bread; Chives; Chilli Flakes

Soft Shell Crab Salted Eggs Benedict

Level

difficult

Cooking

30 min

Preparation

30 min

Ingredients

Servings

For the hollandaise
Unsalted Butter room temperature	150 g
Egg yolks	3
White Wine Vinegar	1 tsp
Salted Egg Powder	1 tbsp
Lemon Juice to taste
Salt
White Pepper
For the soft shell crab
Cooking Oil
Plain Flour or cake flour, sifted	200 g
Salt	¹⁄₂ tsp
Salted Egg Powder	1 tsp
Egg large, yolk	1
Soft Shell Crabs	4
Soda Water	315 ml
To assemble
Eggs room temperature	4
White Wine Vinegar	1 tbsp
Sourdough Bread toasted	2 slices
Chives chopped
Chilli Flakes optional

How to cook

To make the sauce:

Cut the butter into cubes.
Put the egg yolks, a cube of butter, the tarragon vinegar, Knorr Salted Egg Powder and a small pinch of salt in a small bowl. Using a wooden spoon, mix the butter into the egg yolks until combined.
Bain-marie method: Heat some water in a saucepan that the bowl with the yolks fits comfortably over without touching the water until the water is hand-hot (it should be comfortable to dip your fingers into – if you have the water too hot, the sauce will curdle).
Stand the bowl containing the egg yolk, butter and reduction mixture in the bain marie, and whisk until the egg yolks visibly start to thicken.
Beat the remaining butter into the yolks, a cube at a time, making sure that the sauce has re-thickened before adding the next cube of butter.
As more butter is added, the butter can begin to be added more quickly. If the sauce becomes very thick and appears greasy, add a little cool water.
Once all the butter has been added, remove the bowl of sauce from the bain marie, taste it and adjust the seasoning.
To achieve a balanced flavour, you may need to add lemon juice, salt and ground white pepper.
The sauce can be kept for about 30 minutes before serving, by placing the bowl over the warm bain marie, off the heat.

To fry the crabs:

Once the sauce is made you can fry your crabs; pour the oil into a large, deep cast iron pot and heat until it reaches 175 C – you can use a deep fat fryer if you have one.
In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Stir the yolk into the soda water until combined and then pour the mixture over the flour mixture.
Using a large fork, gently combine the wet and dry ingredients; the batter should remain slightly lumpy and should have the consistency of double cream – don’t overmix.
Dip 2 crabs into the batter, letting any excess batter drip back into bowl, and carefully place the crabs into the hot oil, top-side down.
Fry for 1 1/2 minutes per side, until golden brown and crisp.
Drain on paper towels, season with salt and then transfer to a baking sheet, and keep warm in a low oven while you dredge and fry the remaining 2 crabs.

To poach your eggs:

Fill a deep pan with water, add 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, and bring it to a light simmer over a medium heat.
Crack one of the eggs into a cup, and using a wooden spoon, make a whirlpool in the pan of water. Quickly and gently pour the egg into the water.
Cook for 3 – 3 ½ minutes and then carefully remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Place straight into a bowl of ice water and repeat with the other eggs.
To warm up the eggs, place them back into the simmering water for 1 minute.