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Deep-fried soft-boiled egg salad with croutons and bacon
Serves 4-6 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 12 slices streaky bacon
- 1⁄2 loaf sourdough bread, chopped into chunks
- 6 eggs, plus 2 eggs, beaten
- 100g plain flour
- 100g panko breadcrumbs
- 1-2 litres vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 125g salad leaves
- 2 chicory bulbs, trimmed and separated into leaves
- 1 bunch or 100g watercress
- handful beetroot leaves
- 2 Little Gem lettuces, trimmed and separated into leaves
- 6 leafy celery tops
For the salad dressing
- 1tbsp honey
- 1tbsp Dijon mustard
- 150ml vegetable oil
- 50ml white wine vinegar
- 1tbsp grainy mustard
Method
Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, then add the bacon to the pan and fry, turning every now and then, until crisp. Lift onto a plate and set aside.
Return the fryinpan to the hob and fry the sourdough chunks in the fat, maintaining a medium heat, until golden and crisp. Spoon onto the plate with the bacon and set the pan aside to use for the dressing later. Bring a large saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Carefully lower the whole eggs into the water and simmer for 6 minutes. Lift out and lower into a bowl of cold water. Carefully remove the eggshells, taking care not to break the eggs.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180C/350F or in a deep heavy-based saucepan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. Line a tray with kitchen paper.
Spoon the plain flour into a shallow bowl and season well. Pour the beaten eggs into a separate, shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs into another bowl. Gently roll each peeled egg in the flour to cover all over, do the same in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs, ensuring each one is completely coated.
Carefully lower 3 eggs into the hot oil and fry for around 1 minute until golden. Lift out onto the kitchen paper to drain and repeat with the other 3 eggs.
To make the dressing for the salad, put all the ingredients into the frying pan used for the bacon and croutons, add 1tbsp of water and season well. Bring up to a simmer, whisking well to combine.
Arrange all the salad leaves on a platter, then scatter the bacon and croutons over the top. Put the eggs on a board and use a sharp knife to cut them in half lengthways. Nestle them into the salad, spoon over the warm dressing and serve immediately.
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