Scrambling Before Scran on Scotland’s Misty Isle

Grumbling slightly, one of the team wriggles out of the tent, the fly taut with the heat from a cloudless sky. A rare and unexpected joy here in the far North West of Scotland, where  sunshine is a thing to be celebrated.

The contrast in this landscape bewitches, and pulls us into its embrace. Packs lie in the lee of the tent, the pink loops of our climbing rope wedged underneath a lid, ready for today’s scramble along beautiful ridges. The beams of sunlight shade the rock formations, calling to mind a Jacobs Ladder of sorts, ascending to the heavens.

Kedgeree

Though some Kedgeree recipes include curry powder, no self respecting Indian cook would ever resort to the vaguely brown powder sitting in a jar at the back of the cupboard. Use the mix below, or add to it as you will, the flavour will be far better than any pre made mix. Dried whole spices weigh little, changing the quantities below can greatly alter the flavour of the recipe below so we encourage you to experiment

Ingredients:

• 2 cups long grain rice or a mix of long grained and wild rice
• 500ml water
• 2 tbsp garam masala powder, or use the mix below:
  • 1 tsp tumeric
  • 1 tbsp curry leaves
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp black onion seeds
• 1 tsp rock salt or sea salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 organic duck or chicken eggs, hard boiled the night before and kept fresh in the drybag fridge.
• 2 fillets wild salmon or trout
• Chervil and coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp olive oil, butter, or ghee

Method:

Heat the ghee in a pan, when hot, add the spices and salt. Cook the fish fillets, skin side down first until crisp then flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more, remove and leave to rest. Rinse the rise in clean water, drain the excess starch and add clean water to the top of the rice, then one knuckle deep extra. Bring to the boil, with lid on until fluffy, season.

Peel and chop the eggs. Flake the trout fillets into the rice, add the eggs, tear the chervil and coriander leaves and mix well.