Ramekins of Cullen Skink

Here's one to blow the socks off your guests next time you are entertaining. I'll stick my hand up to this one any day of the week. I was having my good friend Pad and Co. round for dinner a while ago and, knowing how fond he was of fish, decided to jump on the Duke and roar up to the excellent St. George's Market near Belfast's City Centre. That, I learned some time ago, is by far the best way to get to St. Georges - you get there in a few minutes and park on the pavement at the doors - I've even had admiring glances from the traffic wardens. The Duke does that. At least it did before I crashed... Anyway, back to business. For those of you outside the metropolis of oul' Belfast, St. George's is an original and thriving city market, revived by the council and largely untouched by the troubles. On a Friday it serves the early fish, meat, knickers and tat brigade and generally fizzles out by midday. On Saturday, however, it throbs to a different beat - it doesn't like to rise too early and gets all gourmet and arty with a laid back touristy buzz and the thrum of city-paid musicians entertaining the exotically catered, who are in no mood to hurry. First stop my chums on the middle fish stall which usually makes me feel like a kid in a sweet shop. What's good? Hake? Yes enough for 5 please. What's that - fresh Portavogie crab? I'll take a tub of that. Oh, and a punnet of raw shelled Portavogie prawns a.k.a. langoustines to the supper brigade. And... your wee man does what? Smokes his own haddock? Well, it would be rude not to. Same story at the cheese counter and then What's that? Quails eggs? Fek me! In Norn Iron! Gotta have some of those.
So the prep for dinner was more Ready Steady Cook than Masterchef as I emptied my bikers rucksack. So here's the story...
Sweat a small shallot in a little mild olive oil, then add some cream and a little butter. Bubble it up and add the smoked haddock skin side down for a minute to release it and the smokey flavour. Turn it and cook until just flakeable, then remove with a slotted spoon and bubble the smokey cream down to just coating a spoon consistancy. Take off the heat and add some sweet white crab meat, keep it chunky if you can, and a few langou-vogie prawns and let the pan cool a little then add the haddock. Butter some starter sized ramekins and spoon in the fishy cream mixture, ready for a hott-ish oven to re-heat when ready (about 5 mins should do it). Griddle some diagonal cut slices of baguette till they're just pretty and butter. Take a pot of boiling water and crack in a Quail's egg per person - you don't need me to tell you they cook quickly to soft. Serve the egg on top of the ramekin and a couple of cleverly arranged slices of griddled bread on the side.
Apologies to my Scottish friends who may consider this the equivalent of making an Irish Stew Roly Poly, but it was made in the spirit of many a good bowl of the real thing. Enjoy