Hake frikkadel with fennel, cucumber and herb pickle and poached duck egg

Serves 4 Starters and mains

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Method

Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for about 15 minutes, drain then mash. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat the oil and sweat the chopped onion until soft. Add to the mashed potato, mix, then set aside and allow to cool.

To make the fennel, cucumber and herb pickle, slice the fennel lengthways with the mandolin. Place the slices in a bowl of cold water so they curl a little. Slice the cucumber, place in another bowl and add the sea salt then leave for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the cucumber and fennel then cut the slices in half.

Mix the apple cider vinegar and sugar with 1 tablespoon of cold water. Pour it over the cucumber and fennel and leave for 30 minutes while you prepare the hake frikkadel.

Wipe out the pan used to cook the onion. Add the bacon and cook until pale golden but not crisp then drain on kitchen paper.

Finely chop the hake and add it to the cold potato. Mash with a fork to break up any chunks then beat in the egg, season with sea salt and black pepper and fold in the bacon and dill.

Form the mixture into 12 patties. Heat some of the oil in a large frying pan over a low heat and cook the frikkadel in batches for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden and cooked through.

Poach the eggs by adding the apple cider vinegar to a saucepan of boiling water. Swirl the water with a spoon and crack in 1 egg. Crack in a second egg and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of cold water to stop them cooking further. Skim off the froth in the pan and poach the remaining 2 eggs.

To reheat, place them in barely simmering water for 1 minute, drain on kitchen paper then place on top of the warm frikkadel.

Add the parsley, dill fronds and crushed dill seeds to the pickle and serve alongside immediately.