Kedgeree

About This Recipe

Kedgeree is a glorious Anglo-Indian breakfast dish that became a staple of the Victorian British table — fluffy basmati rice cooked with mild curry powder and turmeric, folded together with flakes of golden smoked haddock, quartered boiled eggs, butter, and a generous shower of fresh parsley. It is subtly spiced, deeply savoury, and one of the finest ways to start a day.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400 gsmoked haddock fillets
• 250 gbasmati rice
• 4 largeeggs
• 1 mediumonion, finely chopped
• 40 gbutter
• 2 tspmild curry powder
• 0.5 tspturmeric
• 300 mlwhole milk, for poaching
• 3 tbspfresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsplemon juice

Instructions

1. 1

   Poach the haddock

   Place haddock in a shallow pan and cover with milk. Bring to a gentle simmer and poach for 8-10 minutes until the fish flakes easily. Remove fish, strain and reserve the poaching milk. Flake the fish into large pieces, discarding skin and bones.

2. 2

   Cook the rice

   Cook basmati rice according to packet instructions. Drain well and set aside.

3. 3

   Boil the eggs

   Boil eggs for 8 minutes for a just-set yolk. Cool under cold water, peel, and quarter.

4. 4

   Build the kedgeree

   Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Cook onion for 5 minutes until soft. Stir in curry powder and turmeric, cook for 1 minute. Add the rice and 3-4 tablespoons of reserved poaching milk, tossing to coat. Gently fold in the haddock flakes.

5. 5

   Serve

   Stir in lemon juice and most of the parsley. Top with quartered eggs and remaining parsley. Serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Use hot-smoked salmon instead of haddock for a luxurious upgrade.

• •

  Add frozen peas in the last minute of cooking for colour and sweetness.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 2 days without eggs. Reheat gently with a splash of milk. Not ideal for freezing.

Frequently Asked Questions