Cornbread with avocado and black bean salsa

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. For the cornbread, pour the melted butter into a large mixing bowl, crack in the 3 eggs, whisk to combine, then pour in the milk and whisk well.
2. Sift the polenta, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into another bowl and mix. Pour the egg mixture on top and mix until just combined (make sure there are no dry bits remaining but be careful not to overmix the batter). Stir in the sweetcorn and spring onions. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and let it stand for 10 minutes at room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, mix the red onion and red wine vinegar in a non-metallic bowl and leave to stand, covered, for an hour at room temperature, stirring occasionally. After 1 hour, drain (discard the vinegar) and set aside in a bowl – see Make Ahead.
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4. Bake the cornbread for 10 minutes, then turn down the oven temperature to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 and bake for 20-25 minutes more until a skewer pushed into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Turn out of the tin onto a cooling rack to cool completely (see Make Ahead).
5. Scoop the avocado flesh into a bowl. Mash roughly with a fork, so some avocado is well mashed but some larger chunks remain. Stir in the olive oil, salt and lemon juice, then season with black pepper. Cover and set aside.
6. Once the cornbread has cooled completely, cut 6 thick slices from the loaf (see tip) and heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the slices of cornbread for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper. Keep the pan to hand.
7. Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the black bean salsa in a small mixing bowl, then taste and season with salt and pepper.
8. Reheat the oil in the pan you used to fry the cornbread, ready to fry the eggs (add a little extra olive oil if needed). Crack the eggs into the hot oil and fry until the bases are crisp and the whites are set, or to your liking (depending on the size of the frying pan, you may need to do this in batches).
9. Divide the cornbread among6 plates, then top each piece with some avocado, a fried egg, some black bean salsa and sour onion, and a few coriander leaves. Serve straightaway with lime wedges.