Fennel Crab Cake Scotch Egg on Bouchon Butter Lettuce Salad

~Scotch eggs are traditionally hard boiled eggs encased in sausage, drenched in bread crumbs, then deep fried. This season’s MasterChef contestant Monti Carlo, concocted a dish that was nothing short of brilliant; a soft boiled egg encased in crab cake mixture. She took a common snack food and elevated it something elegant and refined. Due to contracting rights to Fox Network, Monti is not able to release the recipe to this amazing dish. So I made my own. If you have your own favorite crab cake recipe, feel free to substitute. The basic idea is outlined below.

*Click for link to Bouchon Butter Lettuce Salad

Special equipment:

Parchment paper

Plastic wrap

Rubber tipped tongs

Ingredients:

8 large white eggs
16oz jar of snow crab with whole pieces- drained
1 stalk fennel- finely minced
1 tbsp fennel fronds- minced
1 large shallot- finely minced (about 1/8 cup)
2 tbsp cilantro- minced
1 tbsp basil- minced
1 cup Best Food/Hellman’s Mayonnaise
1 ½ tsp Old Bay Seasoning
sugar
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
½ cup all purpose flour
unsalted sweet butter 

Directions:

1. Place eggs in pot of cold water. Fill pot with enough water to cover top of eggs.
2. Set on high heat. Once water comes to boil, boil eggs for exactly 3min, then remove immediately. Drain all hot water from pot and refill with cold water. Set aside for 5-10min and then carefully peel eggs. These are soft boiled eggs so are delicate. Rinse off any shell bits. Place eggs in a bowl with a paper towel underneath eggs.
3. In a large bowl, combine crab, fennel, fennel fronds, shallot, cilantro, basil, mayonnaise, Old Bay Seasoning, and a pinch of sugar. Mix thoroughly.
4. Place breadcrumbs and flour into separate bowls. Place a large piece of parchment paper on a small sheet pan or large plate. Set everything up into assembly line in this order: eggs, flour, crab mixture, bread crumbs, and parchment paper sheet pan.
5. Make note that you need to keep one hand for dry ingredients and one for wet. If you are right handed, your right hand will be for wet and vice a versa.
6. Take an egg, roll in flour until all sides are lightly dusted. Place egg in right hand and scoop crab mixture onto egg. Lightly pat down onto egg and repeat on all sides until egg is encased in crab. You want to put a light layer of crab onto the egg, no more than ¼”. Place egg into bread crumbs and lightly roll until all sides are covered. Using your dry hand, cup and lightly press crab into egg. Place scotch egg onto parchment and repeat for all remaining eggs.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1hr.  
8. Place pan on medium low heat. Melt a pat of butter and add tsp of olive oil. Working in batches of 3-4, gently place scotch eggs into pan. Pan fry until golden, about 3min on each side. Using tongs, carefully turn each side.
9. Place onto each serving of salad and gently slice egg in half. Serve immediately.

The egg pictured above was hard boiled. Here is the soft boiled version served with a celery fennel slaw.