Wild boar croquette with pickled vegetables
- Main
- Medium
- 4
- 1 hour 30 minutes, plus 12 hours brining time, 4 hours to cook the meat and 2 hours setting time
PT1H30M
PT18H
A rich parcel of brined, slow-cooked and deep-fried boar shoulder is enough to get anyone salivating; once it's paired with a variety of briefly pickled vegetables and an incredible caper and raisin purée, however, this dish goes from good to great. If you're struggling to find wild boar then pork shoulder can be used in its place.
Ingredients
Brine
- 750ml of water
- 125g of brown sugar
- 375g of rock salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1/2 tsp white peppercorns
Chive oil
- 50g of chives
- 200g of sunflower oil
Caper and raisin purée
- 100g of golden raisins , soaked in hot water
- 100g of capers , drained and rinsed
Pickling liquor
- 250g of white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1 1/2 star anise
- 1 clove
- 1g of white peppercorns
- 2.5g of fennel seeds
- 2.5g of coriander seeds
- 125g of water
- 125g of caster sugar
Croquettes
- 600g of wild boar shoulder, or pork shoulder
- 50g of wholegrain mustard
- 10g of green peppercorns , roughly chopped
- 5 tbsp of duck fat
- 150g of plain flour
- 2 medium eggs
- 150g of Panko breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
To garnish
- 1 radish , finely sliced, leaves reserved if it comes with them
- 4 baby carrots , ideally in a mixture of colours, shaved into ribbons
- 1 shallot , finely sliced into rings
- 4 pearl onions , halved
- nasturtium leaves
Equipment
- Blender
- Thermometer
- Muslin cloth
Method
Begin by making a brine. Add all the ingredients to a pan and bring to the boil. Stir until the sugar and salt has dissolved then leave to cool. Place in the fridge to chill completely, then add the wild boar (or pork), ensuring it is fully submerged. Leave in the fridge to brine for 12 hours
- 750ml of water
- 125g of brown sugar
- 375g of rock salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1/2 tsp white peppercorns
- 600g of wild boar shoulder, or pork shoulder
While the meat brines, you can prepare the pickling liquor, purée and oil in advance. To make the chive oil, finely chop the chives and bring a pan of oil up to 50°C. Add the chives to the warm oil and transfer to a blender. Blitz until smooth and bright green, then leave to infuse for 15 minutes before passing through a muslin cloth or very fine sieve. Keep in the fridge to reserve the bright green colour
- 50g of chives
- 200g of sunflower oil
To make the caper and raisin purée, place the capers and raisins in a pan and cover with water. Gently boil for 10 minutes or until the raisins are very soft, then drain and blitz in a blender until very smooth. Pass through a sieve and transfer to a piping bag or squeezy bottle. Keep in the fridge
- 100g of capers , drained and rinsed
- 100g of golden raisins , soaked in hot water
For the pickle liquor, bring the water, vinegar and sugar to the boil, add all other ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely
- 250g of white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1 1/2 star anise
- 1 clove
- 1g of white peppercorns
- 2.5g of coriander seeds
- 125g of water
- 125g of caster sugar
After the meat has been brining for 12 hours, preheat an oven to 140°C/gas mark 1. Remove the meat from the brine and rinse under cold water. Wrap the meat in baking paper, then again in a sheet of foil. Place the parcel on a tray and into the oven for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is very soft and falling apart easily. Reserve the roasting juices in a separate bowl and place the meat aside to rest until cool enough to handle
Shred the meat using two forks and place in a bowl with the mustard, chopped peppercorns, reserved roasting juices and duck fat. Mix to combine and season to taste. Line a shallow tray with cling film or baking paper and press the mixture into the tray in a flat layer. Cover with another sheet of baking paper, top with something heavy and place in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours
- 50g of wholegrain mustard
- 10g of green peppercorns , roughly chopped
- 5 tbsp of duck fat
Once the wild boar mixture has set, preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and bring a deep pan of oil to 180°C. Carefully tip the meat out of the tray onto a board and cut into 4 even rectangular pieces. Carefully dust each piece in flour, then dip in beaten egg, followed by the breadcrumbs. Deep-fry until golden (around 3-5 minutes), then finish in the oven for 4 minutes
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 150g of plain flour
- 2 medium eggs , beaten with a pinch of salt
- 150g of Panko breadcrumbs
Meanwhile, submerge the carrot ribbons, shallot rings and sliced radish in the cooled pickle liquor. Halve the pearl onions and fry cut-side down until blackened, then separate into individual pearls and place them in the liquor too
- 4 baby carrots , ideally in a mixture of colours, shaved into ribbons
- 1 shallot , finely sliced into rings
- 4 pearl onions , halved
To serve, add one croquette to each plate with a sprinkle of salt. Pipe some of the puree beside it and arrange curls of pickled carrot on top. Finish with slices of radish, shallot rings, charred onion petals and some more dots of caper raisin puree. Drizzle over the chive oil to dress the vegetables and finish with nasturtium leaves and a radish leaf (if using)
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Wild boar croquette with pickled vegetables
