Potted shrimp with homemade crumpets and poached egg
Potted shrimps are delicious cold or warmed through and served simply with toast, but Rick Stein uses them in this rather special dish with homemade crumpets and poached eggs. The melted spiced butter seeps into the holes in the crumpets.
For this recipe you will need metal crumpet rings or chefs’ rings.
Ingredients
For the potted shrimps
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú butter
- 2 blades mace
- good pinch cayenne pepper
- good pinch ground white pepper
- 300g/10½oz cooked peeled brown shrimps
- 6 tbsp clarified butter
For the crumpets
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú plain flour
- 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 200ml/7fl oz lukewarm water
- 30g/1oz unsalted butter, melted, plus soft butter for greasing
To serve
Method
To make the potted shrimps, melt the butter in a pan with the mace, cayenne and white pepper over a low heat to infuse the butter with the spices.
Add the shrimps and gently heat them through for a few minutes. Divide the mixture between 6 ramekins and spoon a tablespoon of melted butter into each. Leave to cool and set before serving.
To make the crumpets, mix the flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the water and beat with an electric whisk for a few minutes until well combined. Cover the bowl and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes or until the mixture is slightly increased in volume, with bubbles on the surface.
Grease 6 crumpet rings with plenty of soft butter.
Brush a non-stick frying pan with half the melted butter and heat over a medium–high heat. Place 3 of the rings in the pan and pour a sixth of the mixture into each ring. Cook for a couple of minutes then reduce the heat to medium and cook for a further 4–5 minutes, until the surface is full of holes and looks fairly dry.
Carefully remove the rings, using a palette knife if needed, then flip the crumpets over and cook for about 30 seconds to take on a little colour. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Cool on a wire rack or serve immediately while warm.
To serve, poach the eggs. Top each crumpet with a poached egg and some potted shrimp, then garnish with chives.
Recipe Tips
If not using the crumpets immediately, toast them before serving.