We have some pheasant eggs due in on Friday this week – a great seasonal delicacy, the yolks are comparatively larger than a hen’s egg, deep yellow with a glorious, rich flavour. You can treat them like gull’s eggs for a treat, or simply as you would hen’s eggs for breakfast.
They are a fantastic addition to any salad or a gourmet black pudding Scotch Egg, and Mark Hix suggests eating pheasant eggs with celery salt and radishes. I think devilled eggs should come back into fashion, with pheasant eggs being perfect with their large yolks. Hard boil, shell, half, then take out the yolk, mix with mayo and mustard (or capers, anchovies, cayenne…) and return the mixture into the whites. Simple and delicious.
Another option is to enjoy them with asparagus, with a lovage mayonnaise. You can either perk up a shop-bought mayo or if you want to impress, make your own mayo, adding a small amount of finely chopped lovage at the end for a celery-flavoured hit.
Or try this simple but delicious seasonal mix of Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Pheasant Eggs with Anchovies:
Serves 4
- 450g/16oz purple sprouting broccoli
- 8 pheasant eggs
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 whole garlic cloves
- pinch dried chilli flakes
- 6 anchovy fillets, chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ lemon, juice only
- toasted ciabatta, to serve
Method
- Trim the PSB, then steam for 5-6 minutes until tender.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on medium high and fry the garlic cloves until golden – then remove and discard.
- Add the chilli and anchovies and cook until the anchovies break down. Season and add the lemon juice.
- In a separate pan fry the pheasant eggs.
- Serve the PSB, top with the fried eggs, and drizzle the dressing, with ciabatta to the side