Steamed scampi sandwiches

By: Pete Evans

Serving size: Serves 4
Cuisine type: Modern Australian
Cooking time: Less than 30 minutes
Special options: Egg free, Nut free
Course: Finger food, Snacks
Favourite flavours: Sandwich, Seafood

INGREDIENTS

Champagne creamed leek
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced
250ml (1 cup) champagne
170ml (2/3 cup) cream

8 whole scampi
16 slices of buttered white bread
1 tablespoon lemon-infused olive oil
1 tablespoon salmon roe
1 tablespoon chopped chervil leaves
2 teaspoons black caviar

METHOD

To make the champagne creamed leek, put the olive oil and leek in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the leek is softened but not coloured. Add the champagne and cook until nearly evaporated, then add the cream and cook until reduced by half. Season with sea salt and white pepper.

Cook the scampi in a steamer or in barely simmering water for about 6 minutes until they are just cooked. Remove the meat from the shells and cut in half lengthways, then leave to cool in the fridge.

Lay 8 slices of the bread on your work surface and top with the other slices to make empty sandwiches. Use a 5cm (2 inch) biscuit cutter to cut out the middle of the bread so you have neat little round sandwiches (chuck away the crusts). Now take the tops off all the sandwiches and spread them with 2 teaspoons of champagne creamed leek.

Toss the scampi with lemon-infused oil, salmon roe, chervil and some sea salt and cracked pepper and put two halves of scampi on each sandwich. Now put the tops back on your sandwiches (press them down firmly), place a small amount of black caviar on top and serve with a flourish.

Makes 8 mini sandwiches