Easter egg

Serves 4

Mark's Easter egg is like a Scotch egg without the Scotch bit (Jason Lowe)

A deep-fried egg isn't tricky to do; it can be made in advance and kept in the fridge until required and then fried at the last minute. It's like a Scotch egg without the Scotch bit.

4 good-quality hens' eggs
Flour for dusting
1 egg, beaten
30-40g fresh white breadcrumbs
A handful of small salad leaves
16-20 medium-sized prawns, cooked, peeled

For the sauce

5tbsp good-quality mayonnaise
5tbsp tomato ketchup
2tsp Worcestershire sauce
A few drops of Tabasco
1tbsp orange juice
1tbsp creamed horseradish or freshly grated horseradish
½tbsp Pernod or Ricard
½tbsp chopped dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Soft-boil the eggs by carefully placing them in simmering water for 4 minutes, then refresh in cold water for a few minutes.

Once cool enough to handle, peel them, ensuring you have removed all of the shell.

Have three dishes ready, one with the flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, one with the beaten egg and the third with the breadcrumbs.

Carefully pass the eggs through the flour, shaking off any excess, then the beaten egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Put to one side.

To make the sauce, put all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Preheat about 8cm of vegetable oil to 160-180C in a large, thick-bottomed saucepan or electric deep-fat fryer. Arrange the salad leaves on serving plates with the prawns, leaving f a gap in the middle for the egg, then spoon the sauce over the prawns and leaves.

Deep-fry the eggs for a couple of minutes until they are golden, moving them about in the pan with a slotted spoon so that they are evenly coloured, then remove from the oil and drain on some kitchen paper. Place each egg in the centre of the leaves and serve.