MAKES AS MANY AS YOU LIKE | S P E C I A L E Q U I P M E N T ( O P T I O N A L ) : I M M E R S I O N C I R C U L A T O R MACHINE; 7-QUART / 6.6-L LEXAN CONTAINER.
Are sous vide eggs part of Indigenous cuisine? Why not. It’s a contemporary version of cooking eggs in their shell on hot ashes. The addition of fish roe and bannock make this an elegant dish with an authentically Indigenous feel.
Sous vide eggs, done properly, seem to demand a lot of work (and equipment), but they really are the softest eggs you’ll ever have. The whites of fresh eggs will set up best. If you don’t have the equipment to sous vide the eggs, you can simply poach them. And caviar—well, why not?
- Make the bannock: Follow the instructions on page 286. Wrap the bannock in a clean cloth to keep warm.
- Meanwhile, sous vide the eggs: Follow the instructions on page 31 to sous vide your eggs. Alternatively, you
can poach the eggs just before serving: Bring a pot of water and splash of white vinegar to a gentle boil. Carefully crack in the eggs and cook for3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the water (give the spoon a gentle tap to shake off any excess moisture).
- Serve the warm eggs individually in small cups or bowls. Top with the caviar and some smoked sea salt.
Serve with a slice of warm bannock
Fresh large eggs (as many as you like)
White vinegar.
½ tsp /2.5 mL caviar of your choice (preferably Ocean Wise) per egg, for serving (see Tip)
Smoked sea salt, for garnish
How to Sous Vide Eggs
Fill a Lexan container* with water until it sits between the “min” and “max” water level indicator of your immersion circulator wand. Preheat the water to 145°F/63°C (follow the manufacturer’s instructions). Using a slotted spoon, gently submerge the eggs (in their shells) and cook for 2 hours. You can make the eggs up to 5 days ahead and keep them in the refrigerator.
If you’re making the eggs ahead of time, it’s important to chill them rapidly right out of the immersion circulator bath. To do this, make an ice water bath and transfer them directly from the hot water of the immersion bath to the ice water bath. Let them cool for at least 20 minutes before draining and refrigerating. An hour or so before serving, take them out of the refrigerator and bring them to room temperature.
Just before serving, bring a pot with about 2 inches/5 cm of water to a gentle boil and add a splash of vinegar. Take the eggs from the immersion circulator bath, gently crack the shells, and slide the whites and yolks carefully into the boiling water for 20 seconds. (This will firm up the whites just enough without further cooking the yolk.) Remove them with a slotted spoon and gently tap the spoon to shake off any excess water. If making Eggs with Caviar and Bannock,
* The best sous vide container, to me, is made of Lexan—a type of hard, non-porous food-grade plastic favoured by the commercial food industry. Cambro and Rubbermaid, among other brands, make them
