Smoked Eel Croquettes, Soft-Boiled Duck Egg and Radish Salad by Roy Brett of Ondine
We are so excited for the start of the Six Nations championship to kick off this year. With the games starting early, we’ve decided a new brunch menu would be the best way to enjoy the pre-match festivities. One of our chefs at Ondine, Dominic Greechan came up with this delicious smoked eel croquette dish, which is perfect for brunch. Using the croquette and the rich soft-boiled duck egg balances perfectly with the peppery radish. It’s our very own take on eggs and soldiers! It does take a little bit of work, but like so many of the best dishes in life, you will taste the rewards.
The brunch menu will feature a selection of Ondine’s signature dishes such as Salt & Pepper Squid and Roast Shellfish Platter. There will also be new dishes on the menu including smoked haddock rarebit with Isle of Mull cheddar and lobster rolls with spring onion in a brioche bun. To get everyone in the spirit, a range of drinks such as mimosas and Ondine Bloody Mary will be on the menu.
Ondine’s location in the centre of Edinburgh’s Old Town makes it the ideal place to celebrate the Six Nations. The brunch menu will only be available on Saturday the 9th of February and the 9th of March from 10:30am.
This new menu is a real showcase of what we’re about at Ondine – the freshest seafood, drinks and fun, which is best enjoyed with family and friends. We always look forward to the Six Nations and the energy it brings to Edinburgh. It will be great to welcome locals and tourists to celebrate Scottish food and sport - it’s always a winning combination!
For more information and to book your table, visit the Ondine website at www.ondinerestaurant.co.uk.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the croquette mix:
50g unsalted butter, diced
2 shallots, finely diced
100g plain flour
250g milk
50g crème fraîche
30g Parmesan, grated
A little chopped parsley
1tsp Dijon mustard
200g smoked eel, flaked
Oil, for frying
For the pane coating:
200g flour
2 hens eggs, whisked
Salt and pepper, for seasoning
For the duck egg and radish salad:
4 duck eggs
1 bunch breakfast radishes, finely sliced
2tbsp cold pressed rapeseed oil
1tbsp mixed soft herbs
Salt and pepper, for seasoning
Method:
1. First, make the croquette mix. Place a thick-bottomed pan over a moderate heat add the butter to the pan. Let the butter melt but avoid adding any colour. Add the shallots and cook for several minutes until they become soft. At this point, add the flour and cook out for several minutes. Slowly start to incorporate the milk, a little at a time. Next, fold in the crème fraîche, Parmesan, mustard, flaked eel and parsley. Mix all of the ingredients together, then take off the heat and allow to cool down to room temperature. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag.
2. Next, lightly flour a chopping board. Pipe the mix onto the board into a long sausage shape and then cut into 5 cm pieces.
3. Next, make the pane mix. Place the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs into three separate bowls. Add the croquette into the flour first, followed by the egg mix then into the breadcrumbs. Add the croquette back into the egg yolk followed by the breadcrumbs to give it a double coating. Place the coated croquettes into the fridge to allow them to become firm.
4. Next, prepare the duck egg and radish salad. Bring a small pot of water to the boil and add the duck eggs carefully. Cook for 8 minutes and then place into iced water straight away. Once cool, carefully peel away the shell. Set the shelled eggs aside on kitchen roll.
5. To cook the croquettes, heat up a fryer to 180°C, carefully add the croquettes and cook for several minutes until crisp and golden on the outside and piping hot in the middle. Lift the croquettes out of the fryer and place gently onto kitchen roll.
6. Prepare the salad by mixing together the sliced radishes and mixed herbs in a bowl with a little rapeseed oil and seasoning.
7. To assemble the dish, place the croquettes onto the plate. Carefully slice the egg in half and season the yolk then place onto the plate along with radish salad and serve.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here