Hot-Smoked Salmon with Runny Duck Eggs & Chilli Butter

This impressive crowd-pleaser is fantastic cooked on a barbecue as the added smokiness creates a delicious dish, but it can be cooked with ease in the oven, too.

Feeds 6-8

Gluten-free

150g butter

1kg-1.2kg whole side of salmon, scaled and pin-boned

8 duck eggs

small bunch of dill, roughly chopped

•  Gently melt the butter in a medium saucepan with 4 finely sliced long green and red chillies, peeled cloves from half a head of garlic (roughly pounded using a pestle and mortar) and 4 tablespoons of fish sauce. Using your hands and a tablespoon, carefully spoon the seasoned butter over the flesh side of the salmon while gently massaging it all over the flesh. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes to let the flavours infuse.

•  Get the barbecue hot or preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. The salmon is best cooked fast over a high heat. Place it in a roasting tray and cook over a barbecue or in the oven for 15-20 minutes. If the flesh flakes easily and lifts away from the skin, and is hot throughout, it is ready. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

•  Meanwhile, cook the eggs. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a gentle rolling boil, then carefully place the eggs in the water. Cook them for 6½ minutes (or for 9 minutes if you don’t like a runny yolk) and then remove and place them in iced water. To make them easy to peel, drop a splash of white vinegar into the iced water. As soon as the eggs are cool enough to handle, lift them out one at a time and, using the back of a tablespoon, gently crack the top and bottom of each and place back in the water – the vinegar water will do its magic, making the shell slide off with ease in your hand. Repeat until all the eggs are peeled then slice them in half.

•  Place the salmon on a large serving dish or banana leaf. Scatter the duck eggs around the salmon, runny-side up, with a tiny pinch of salt in each of the yolks. Sprinkle over the dill and drizzle with any excess fish sauce butter.

•  Serve with sticky rice, lime wedges and bowls of sriracha (hot chilli sauce) for extra spice.