The Baker The Bottleman 98
The Baker The Bottleman 154
Hong Kong

Crumpets and Smoked Eel Recipe

The Baker & The Bottleman, our modern bakery and neighbourhood restaurant in Hong Kong, is known for comforting dishes and delicious baked goods inspired by our British heritage. One such dish is our Crumpets with Smoked Eel, which are so popular with our regulars that we thought we’d share the recipe with you.

Crumpets with Smoked Eel

Ingredients

  • 1g sugar

  • 400ml whole milk

  • 200ml boiling water

  • 25g dried yeast

  • 300g plain flour

  • 200g strong bread flour

  • 3g salt (or to taste)

  • 0.5g bicarbonate of soda

Method

  1. Prepare the yeast mixture: Mix the sugar, milk, and boiling water in a jug, then stir in the yeast. Leave it in a warm place for about 10 minutes until it foams.

  2. Make the dough: Combine the flours, salt, and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture, then mix everything together until smooth. Let the dough rest either overnight in the fridge or for 2 hours in a warm place.

  3. Cook the crumpets: Heat a flat pan over medium-low heat. Grease some metal rings (crumpet rings or you could use cookie cutters) with oil or butter and place them on the pan. Pour the batter into the rings, cook until bubbles form on top and the surface is dry.

  4. Finishing: Once the crumpets are cooked, gently remove them from the rings. If you're eating them right away, toast the tops under a grill until golden. If saving them for later, let them cool on a wire rack, then toast both sides before serving.

Horseradish Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard

  • 20g horseradish sauce

  • 30g vegetable oil

  • 20g olive oil

Method

  1. Make the sauce: Blend or whisk the egg yolk, mustard, and horseradish together.

  2. Add the oil: Slowly pour in the vegetable and olive oil while whisking continuously to avoid splitting the mixture. Season with salt and a little lemon juice.

Smoked Eel Mixture

Ingredients

  • 200g smoked eel, diced

  • 50g lardo, very thinly sliced (freeze it for 20-30 min to make slicing easier)

  • 75g horseradish mayo (from above)

  • 5g chives, chopped

  • 5g parsley, chopped

  • Lemon zest

  • Lemon juice

  • Salt

Method

  1. Prepare ingredients: Dice the smoked eel and any leftover bits of lardo into very small pieces (around 0.5cm).

  2. Mix the ingredients: Combine the eel, lardo, and horseradish mayo. Add the chopped chives, parsley, lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a pinch of salt (remember that the lardo is salty).

  3. Finish the dish: Shape the mixture into a nice mound or use a ring mold. Lay the thin slices of lardo on top. Toast the crumpets with butter in a pan until golden brown and serve.

Tip:

You can render the lardo trimmings slowly to use the fat for toasting the crumpets or for cooking other dishes.