“This is for everyone who knew how to throw a wild dinner party in the ’60s and ’70s, the era of English asparagus, cucumber sandwiches, prawn cocktails and devilled eggs,” says Dan Pepperell. “The smoked oil adds a new element to these eggs and a little extra umami always helps, here thanks to the bottarga.”
Ingredients
Smoked oil
Method
Main
1.For smoked oil, pour olive oil into a small metal container (a disposable pie dish works well). Line a frying pan with foil, scatter woodchips over the base and heat over high heat until woodchips start to smoke (2-4 minutes). Push chips around the side of the pan to form a well in the centre, then place oil dish in the well, reduce heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and smoke for 10 minutes. Remove oil and set aside to cool (discard chips when cooled).
2.Cook eggs in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, stirring gently at first so the yolk sets in the centre, until hard-boiled (10 minutes). Drain, cool under cold running water, then peel and halve lengthways. Remove yolks and push through a fine sieve into a bowl. Add mayonnaise, Sriracha, and smoked olive oil, beat until creamy, season to taste, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm-diameter star nozzle.
3.Pipe yolk mixture into the eggwhite halves, finely grate bottarga over the top and top with chives. Serve at room temperature. Devilled eggs can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated.
Note Kewpie mayonnaise, a Japanese brand, is available from Asian grocers. Bottarga is the salted dried roe of either mullet or tuna and is available from select delicatessens.
Notes
