Crispy Avo with Pilchards

Ingredients:

• Sunflower oil, for deep frying
• 2 ripe but firm avocados, quartered and peeled
• Salt and pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 500 ml (2 cups) dry breadcrumbs
• 200 g (½ a 400 g) tin pilchards in sweet chilli sauce
• 1 spring onion, thinly sliced

  Method:

1. Heat enough oil in a medium saucepan to come halfway up the sides, over medium heat.
2. Season the avocado with salt and pepper. Working with one wedge at a time, coat in the breadcrumbs (you’ll need fine crumbs for the first crumb), followed by the egg and lastly again in breadcrumbs (use coarse crumbs, if you prefer extra crunch).
3. Deep fry, in batches, for about 3 minutes or until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Remove the bones from the pilchards and roughly mash with the sweet chilli sauce. Mix through half of the spring onion. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Spoon the pilchards onto the crispy avo wedges. Sprinkle with remaining onion.

  Tip: To make your own breadcrumbs, blitz 6 slices of white bread until crumbs form. Spread out on a baking tray and toast at 120°C for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until dried out. Cool. For fine crumbs, blitz again.