Blinis with Scottish smoked salmon and scrambled eggs

INGREDIENTS SERVES 4

For the blinis: 175g plain flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 2 eggs, separated; 150ml full-fat milk; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; small bunch of dill, chopped; 25g salted butter For the scrambled eggs: 4 eggs; 50ml double cream; 25g salted butter; 4 slices of Scottish smoked salmon, chopped

To serve: 8 slices of Scottish smoked salmon; 100ml crème fraîche (optional); 1 lemon, cut into wedges (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat a large flat griddle pan (or a heavy-based frying pan) over a medium heat until hot. To make the blinis, put the flour into a large bowl, add the baking powder, egg yolks and milk. Season well and mix together.

In a separate clean and grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff (you can use an electric hand whisk or balloon whisk for this), then fold into the batter along with the dill. Dot the butter over the griddle pan.

Once it is melted and foaming, spoon on the batter to form 8 discs. Cook for a couple of minutes until each one has puffed up and you can see bubbles appearing, then flip over and cook until golden on the other side. Lift on to a plate and set aside.

To make the scrambled eggs, whisk the eggs and cream together in a bowl. Heat the butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, then pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until just set. Stir through the chopped salmon and season with black pepper.

To serve, pile the slices of smoked salmon on to a serving plate with the blinis and serve the scrambled eggs alongside, with crème fraîche and lemon wedges on the side, if you like.

Recipe from James Martin’s Islands to Highlands by James Martin (Quadrille, £25).