Spiced potted shrimps with quick-pickled cucumber

Method

1. Put the butter, bay, mace and shallots in a medium saucepan and heat very gently over the lowest heat until the butter has melted. Cook for 4-5 minutes without letting it bubble – if it starts to bubble, move it half off the heat and swap the half every so often. Line a fine sieve with a double layer of muslin or 2 clean J-cloths and set over a measuring jug. Slowly strain the butter mixture through the sieve (discard the solids). Set aside the clarified butter in the jug.
2. Toss the shrimps in a bowl with the cayenne, nutmeg, lemon zest and a little black pepper, then divide among 8 x 75ml dariole moulds or small ramekins (see tips). There should be around 45g mixture in each mould. Pour over the clarified butter, making sure all the shrimps are completely submerged. Leave to cool, then cover with cling film and chill (see Make Ahead). You’ll need to remove them from the fridge around 1 hour before you want to serve them.
3. To make the quick-pickled cucumber, mix the sugar, vinegar and lightly crushed mustard seeds in a bowl until the sugar has almost dissolved. Finely slice the cucumber into long slices or ribbons using a mandoline or vegetable peeler, then toss through the vinegar mixture along with the sea salt. Chill for 30 minutes to 1½ hours, tossing occasionally, until the cucumber tastes sharp-sweet. Drain the cucumber, squeezing out and discarding most of the excess liquid.
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4. Once the potted shrimps have had time to come to room temperature, heat the oven briefly, then put the potted shrimps inside for around 1 minute – the idea is to melt just a little of the butter. Turn out onto plates (see tips), then serve with the pickled cucumber and slices of toasted sourdough.