Modern Paleo ~ Way to go…Paleo..

It’s satisfying when an adapted recipe works because it’s always a bit of a gamble. I like the challenge of using ingredients I have on hand. Yesterday I bought some Balmain Bugs from the Seafood Markets and these inspired me to make Poh Ling Yeow’s Egg Custards. I have been meaning to make these for ages but was always put off by not having the exact ingredients, but today I was not going to be deterred. Topping the custards with left over chorizo and a splash of truffle oil took them out of the realm of Chinese Cuisine, but it works. The custard is silky and creamy with the perfect amount of wobble. Cooking the bugs in hot salted coconut oil flesh side down and turning to steam in some water results in tender moist flesh a tip I learned from Peter Kuruvita SBS Island Feast series which can be applied to all crustaceans. We had these for breakfast but they would work as a starter. I hope you feel inspired to adapt recipes it really is one of the pleasures of cooking..

Ingredients
(Organic, free range)
2 large eggs
1 cup stock (I used lamb because I had it in the freezer)
1/2 anchovy, chopped to a paste
Salt and pepper
Chorizo
Coriander
Lime wedges
Truffle oil
3 Balmain Bugs

Method
Fill a wok half full of water, perch a steamer over the top big enough to fit 2 coffee cups.
In a bowl mix the eggs, anchovy, salt and pepper and stock. Using a pair of chop sticks do slow figures of eights to do the mixing rather than whisking, you will achieve a much silkier result.

Divide the egg mixture between 2 cups and steam for 10 minutes. The custards should be opaque and creamy coloured when done and still wobbly.

Remove custards from steamer and sprinkle with cooked chorizo, coriander and a teaspoon of truffle oil.

When custards have 5 minutes to steam, heat a small frying pan with coconut oil until smoking, add in some salt and the bugs flesh side down cook for 2 minutes until flesh is starting to colour. Turn onto shell, ladle in some water or stock, cover and allow to steam for a few more minutes. You will know they are cooked when the flesh falls from the shell.

Pop custards on the centre of a large plate, place bugs around and serve with more coriander and lime. Serves 2.

Recipe adapted from Poh’s Kitchen