Kedgeree with Smoked Haddock

Ingredients

• 🍚Basmati Rice, rinsed until the water runs mostly clear160 g
• 🐟Smoked Haddock, skin removed if necessary and checked for any bones300 g
• 🥚Large Eggs, hard-boiled and peeled3
• 🧅Yellow Onion, finely chopped1
• 🧄Garlic, finely minced2 clove
• 🫚Ginger (ground)1 tsp
• 🧂Turmeric1 tsp
• 🧂Cumin (ground)1 tsp
• 🧂Coriander (ground)1 tsp
• 🌿Bay Leaves1
• 💧Water, for poaching the fish500 ml
• 🧈Salted Butter30 g
• 🍋Lemon, zested and juiced1
• 🌿Flat-Leaf Parsley, finely chopped15 g
• 🧅Scallions, thinly sliced2
• 🧂Kosher Salt, for seasoning the rice water and final dishto taste
• 🧂Black Pepper (ground), freshly groundto taste

Contains Celery, Dairy, Eggs, Fish, Garlic, Mustard, Onion. AI-generated, checked against common allergens; always check labels.

Method

1. 1

   Rinse the rice

   Tip the Basmati Rice into a sieve and rinse it under cold Water, swirling it with your hand for about 30 seconds until the water runs mostly clear and the grains feel less sticky. If the water stays milky, keep rinsing — that starch is what makes kedgeree claggy instead of separate.

   1 min
2. 2

   Poach the haddock

   Pour the Water into a large saucepan with lid and add the Bay Leaf, then set it over medium heat for about 4 minutes until the liquid is steaming and just starting to tremble at the edges. Slide in the Smoked Haddock, cover the saucepan and poach it for 6-8 minutes until the flesh turns opaque and flakes at the gentlest nudge; if it starts to boil hard, lower the heat so it stays tender.

   10 min
3. 3

   Cook the eggs

   Put the Large Eggs in a medium saucepan and cover them with fresh Water, then set it over high heat until the water reaches a lively boil. Lower the heat slightly and simmer the eggs for 9-10 minutes until the whites are firm and the yolks are set but still a warm yellow at the centre; if one cracks, it is fine, just keep the simmer gentle.

   10 min
4. 4

   Peel the eggs

   Transfer the cooked Large Eggs to a bowl of cold Water and leave them for about 2 minutes until they are cool enough to handle. Tap and roll each shell on the counter, then peel it away under the water so the membrane lifts cleanly; if the shell clings, peel under a trickle of water and carry on.

   3 min
5. 5

   Flake the haddock

   Lift the Smoked Haddock from the saucepan onto a plate and use a fork to break it into large flakes, checking as you go for any skin or bones. You want broad, tender flakes that still hold together a little; if you shred it too fine, it will disappear into the rice instead of giving you lovely meaty bites.

   3 min
6. 6

   Chop the aromatics

   Finely chop the Yellow Onion, mince the Garlic Cloves and slice the Scallions, then chop the Flat-Leaf Parsley and zest and juice the Lemon. Keep the pieces small and even so they soften quickly in the rice and finish as a fresh, bright garnish; if the onion pieces look chunky, go over them once more with the knife.

   5 min
7. 7

   Soften the onion

   Melt the Salted Butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until it foams and the surface looks glossy, then add the Yellow Onion and stir it for about 6 minutes. Let it sweat rather than brown, shaking the pan now and then, until the pieces are soft, translucent and smelling sweet; if they start catching at the edges, lower the heat a little and stir more often.

   6 min
8. 8

   Bloom the spices

   Stir the Garlic Cloves, Ginger (ground), Turmeric, Cumin (ground), Coriander (ground) and Kosher Salt into the onion in the frying pan and cook them over medium heat for about 1 minute, stirring constantly so they do not scorch. The mix should smell warm and fragrant, and the turmeric should stain the butter a deep yellow; if the garlic starts browning quickly, pull the pan off the heat for a moment and keep stirring.

   1 min
9. 9

   Cook the rice

   Tip the rinsed Basmati Rice into the frying pan and stir it through the spice base for about 1 minute so every grain is coated and glossy. Add a little of the reserved poaching liquid if the pan looks dry, then cook over medium heat, stirring gently, until the grains look opaque at the edges but still separate; if the rice starts sticking, add another splash of liquid and lower the heat.

   1 min
10. 10

    Steam the rice

    Pour in the rest of the reserved cooking liquid, cover the frying pan and turn the heat to low, then let the rice steam for about 8 minutes until the grains are tender and have absorbed the liquid. Listen for the sound to settle to a soft hush; if the pan starts to spit or dry out before the rice is tender, add a small splash of Water and keep the lid on.

    8 min
11. 11

    Fold in the fish

    Uncover the frying pan and gently fold in the flaked Smoked Haddock, sliced Scallions and chopped Flat-Leaf Parsley with a wooden spoon for about 1 minute, using broad turns so the rice does not break up. The fish should warm through and the parsley should stay bright green; if the mixture looks dry, add a spoonful of Water rather than stirring harder.

    1 min
12. 12

    Add the eggs

    Quarter the peeled Large Eggs and nestle them through the kedgeree in the frying pan, then turn the heat off and leave everything for about 1 minute so the eggs warm gently without drying out. The whites should stay clean and firm while the yolks remain solid but soft-looking at the cut edges; if you stir too hard, they will crumble, so place them in with care.

    1 min
13. 13

    Finish and serve

    Grate over the Lemon zest, squeeze in the Lemon juice and add plenty of Black Pepper (ground), then spoon the kedgeree onto warm plates. The final dish should smell bright and buttery with a vivid lemon lift; if it tastes flat, add a little more lemon juice rather than more salt so the fish stays elegant.

    2 min

Nutrition per serving