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200g pork skins (we generally use skins from the belly)

coarse sea salt

groundnut or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

We are probably one of very few nations in the world who eat snacks with hairs protruding from them! If you happen to be cooking pork belly and won’t need the skin, remove and freeze it until you have time to prepare these savoury scratchings. Otherwise, your local butcher should be only too happy to sell you some pork skins. The crunchy pork scratchings keep well in an airtight container so you might want to double up the recipe.

Cut away or scrape off the excess fat from the pork skin, leaving an even layer attached to the skins, about 3mm thick. Rub or massage the skin with sea salt, place on a baking tray and chill in the fridge for 24-48 hours, to draw out excess moisture.

Dab off the beads of moisture with kitchen paper, then cut the skin into neat strips, about 1cm wide and 10cm long. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or a heavy-based pan until it reaches about 120°C; the pan should be no more than half-full. Fry the skin strips in batches for about 8-9 minutes until they are cooked through and firm. Remove and drain.

Increase the heat and bring the oil to 195-200°C. Re-fry the pork skins in batches for another 2-3 minutes until they are golden brown and crisp; the skins may curl and bubble as they fry. Remove and drain on a tray lined with kitchen paper. The skins will continue to crisp up as they cool. When completely cooled, store in an airtight container unless you are serving the pork scratchings straight away.