Daniel Clifford's Smoked Salmon Scotch Eggs

Makes 12

Ingredients

500g (1lb 2oz) fresh salmon
18 eggs
300ml (1/2 pint) double cream 
4 shallots
100ml (31/2fl oz) white wine
1 lemon
200g (7oz) smoked salmon
1 tbsp chives, chopped
Pinch cayenne pepper
Salt
Plain flour, for coating
400g (14oz) breadcrumbs

Method

Make a salmon mousse by blending the fresh salmon with three of the eggs and finish with the cream. Make sure you do not overwork the mixture. Leave in the fridge. Next, dice the shallots, put them in a pan and simmer in the white wine for 20 minutes. 

Peel and finely chop the zest of the lemon, ensuring you remove the white pith. Finely slice the smoked salmon and mix with the shallots, lemon zest and chives and season the mix with cayenne pepper and salt. Gently mix with the cold salmon mousse.

Poach 12 of the eggs for about two minutes, cool them down in ice and trim any excess egg white from around the edges. Divide the mousse into 12 portions and spread each portion thinly over cling film to twice the circumference of an egg, then gently wrap the cling film around each egg so you encase it with the mousse. Lightly poach the wrapped eggs for another minute to set the mousse around the egg. Chill in the fridge before removing the cling film. Place the poached eggs gently in flour, making sure they are covered, then shake off all the excess flour and dip into three beaten eggs and then the breadcrumbs, repeating the last process twice before deep-frying until golden brown. Eat hot or cold.