A Smoked Haddock Kedgeree is a delicious one-pot smoked fish dish with delicately curried rice topped with soft-boiled eggs. Made with flaked smoked haddock, this version is easy and uses simple ingredients. Ready in just 40 minutes, this is a recipe you'll keep coming back to. It's filling, tasty and not overly spicy.
Smoked Haddock Kedgeree is a classic British dish that has been enjoyed for centuries and can be eaten hot or cold. It's great comfort food and one of those rare recipes that can be served for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or an impressive brunch!
For more easy Smoked Haddock recipes, try my homemade Smoked Haddock Fishcakes or these filling thick soup or broth recipes such as Cullen Skink, a traditional Scottish recipe, or Smoked Haddock and Prawn Chowder. If you're looking for a simple way to cook Haddock Fillets, check out my easy Grilled Haddock Fillets recipe.
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Where does Kedgeree originate from?
This haddock rice recipe originally came from India as a breakfast kedgeree, but nowadays is mostly eaten as a main meal. The origin and meaning of the word kedgeree comes from the name given to rice dishes of this type but doesn't mean anything specific. During the Colonial days in India, it was served to the British for breakfast before being brought back by returning soldiers and introduced to Victorian Britain.
Ingredients
- Smoked Haddock - use good quality, sustainably sourced smoked haddock. Dyed or undyed. In the US you might find this called Finnan Haddie or Finnan Haddock. The fish is smoked, but not cooked.
- Curry Powder - a medium curry powder will give a gentle spicy flavour but is not too overpowering.
- Peas Most Kedgeree recipes include peas. They give the dish a nice sweetness and add some colour and extra nutrition. Frozen garden peas are the best.
- Eggs. Eggs are a key part of a kedgeree recipe, probably because it started life as a breakfast dish.
- Butter. Traditional kedgeree is made with butter rather than oil and the butter brings a distinctive flavour. Use salted or unsalted.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This Kedgeree with smoked haddock recipe is a simple and easy version. Some Kedgeree recipes poach the haddock in milk and then tell you to throw the milk away! I like to poach the fish in water and then use this same water to cook the rice. This way, you get the full flavour of the fish and there's no waste.
Place the eggs in a pan of cold water and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer and simmer for 4 - 6 minutes for a runny to soft yolk and 8 - 12 minutes for a hard yolk.
At the same time, poach the haddock in a large frying pan. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil then simmer for 6-8 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. Remove the haddock and set it to one side and pour the water into a jug.
Melt the butter in the frying pan over a medium to low heat and fry the onions for 3 - 4 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally.
Add the curry powder and fry for 1 minute whilst stirring. This helps to release the flavour.
Add the rice and make sure the rice is well coated in the butter.
Pour in the amount of cooking water, as stated on the recipe card. Stir and leave it to simmer for 8 minutes. Whilst the rice is cooking, remove the skin from the haddock and flake the fish. This is also a good time to remove the shells from the eggs.
Add the flaked haddock and the peas to the rice and simmer again for 4 - 5 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and season the kedgeree with pepper. Cover it and let it rest for 4 minutes. Stir through some fresh parsley. Serve each portion with an egg.
Hint: Resting rice helps the grains to firm up and stops them from going mushy.
How to serve Kedgeree
Kedgeree is a one-pot dish as it already contains fish, rice, vegetables, and egg. You can also serve it with some fresh crusty bread.
For herbs, choose from fresh parsley, coriander (cilantro), or chives sprinkled over the top. Herbs not only add colour but a nice fresh flavour.
A wedge of lemon brightens the plate and I always like to add fresh lemon juice to fish dishes.
If you're looking for more side dishes, try these Minted Peas or Bombay Potatoes.
Substitutions
This Kedgeree with smoked haddock recipe uses very few ingredients, but there are a couple of substitutions you can make if you need to.
- Smoked Fish - instead of smoked haddock, you could use smoked mackerel, salmon, smoked kippers, smoked basa, or smoked hake. The flavour will be slightly different but I always encourage people to use what they have to avoid food waste.
- Rice - if you want to use brown rice instead of white basmati rice, you can but be aware that brown rice has a longer cooking time so at stage 6 you will need to simmer it for the time stated on the packet, less 4 minutes.
- Curry Powder - if you want to spice the dish up use a hot curry powder rather than a medium one.
Equipment
You will need one small pan to cook the eggs and one large pan such as a large frying or skillet pan to cook the kedgeree.
Storing and Freezing Kedgeree
You can eat Kedgeree hot or cold. Store it in the fridge as soon as possible as rice shouldn't be left out at room temperature. It can be kept in the fridge for 1 day and leftovers are great for lunch the next day.
Kedgeree can be frozen for up to one month. Cooked eggs however don't freeze well as they go too rubbery so leave those out. Why not use any leftover cooked eggs to make homemade egg mayonnaise?
How to reheat Kedgeree
You can reheat kedgeree but make sure it is piping hot all the way through.
- In a microwave, add a tablespoon of water for each cupful of rice, cover with a lid or a damp kitchen cloth, and reheat until piping hot.
- Hob or Stovetop - put the kedgeree into a pan and add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. This is to stop the rice burning. You could also add a little butter. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and reheat for 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Sustainability
Buying fish from a sustainable source is important as it protects fish stocks and also ensures the fish is sourced in a way that doesn't harm other marine life. The easiest way to know is to look out for the blue Marine Conservation Society logo. The Marine Conservation Society monitor the sustainability of different fish stocks. Their Good Fish Guide has all the up-to-date information.
The curry powder, lemons, basmati rice, and black pepper can all be bought as Fairtrade, which helps support some of the world's poorest farmers. The Fairtrade organisation also ensures the farmers are paid a fair living wage for their produce.
FAQ
I wouldn't recommend making kedgeree in advance as the dish relies on the freshness of the flavours. You can eat Kedgeree cold. If you need to loosen the rice, add a little melted butter or a small amount of water.
Traditionally smoked haddock had a slightly more yellow appearance than non-smoked haddock. Today, most mass-produced smoked haddock isn't smoked the traditional way in smokehouses so a yellow dye is added to give it a more traditional smoked appearance. The yellow dye does nothing to the flavour and dyed smoked haddock is often very yellow whereas traditionally smoked haddock has a more natural pale yellow/orange colour.
Related
Looking for other Smoked Haddock or Fish and Rice recipes? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Smoked Haddock Kedgeree
Ingredients
- 4 eggs organic or free range
- 500 g smoked haddock undyed fillets, bones removed, MSC certified
- 50 g butter organic
- 1 onions organic, peeled and chopped
- 4 teaspoon medium curry powder organic, fairtrade (or less if feeding small children)
- 300 g basmati rice organic, fairtrade
- 140 g frozen peas organic, thawed
- 800 ml water used to cook haddock use this quantity to cook the rice
- 1 dash black pepper organic, fairtrade
- 3 tablespoon fresh parsley organic, chopped
Instructions
- Place the eggs in a pan of cold water and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer and simmer for 4 - 6 minutes for a runny to soft yolk and 8 - 12 minutes for a hard yolk.4 eggs
- At the same time, poach the haddock in a large frying pan. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil then simmer for 6-8 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. Remove the haddock and set it to one side and pour the water into a jug.500 g smoked haddock
- Melt the butter in the frying pan over a medium to low heat and fry the onions for 3 - 4 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally.50 g butter, 1 onions
- Add the curry powder and fry for 1 minute whilst stirring. This helps to release the flavour.4 teaspoon medium curry powder
- Add the rice and make sure the rice is well coated in the butter.300 g basmati rice
- Pour in the amount of cooking water, as stated on the recipe card. Stir and leave it to simmer for 8 minutes. Whilst the rice is cooking, remove the skin from the smoked haddock and flake the fish. This is also a good time to remove the shells from the eggs.800 ml water
- Add the flaked smoked haddock and the peas to the rice and simmer again for 4 - 5 minutes.140 g frozen peas
- Take the pan off the heat and season the kedgeree with pepper. Cover it and let it rest for 4 minutes. Stir through some fresh parsley. Serve each portion with an egg.3 tablespoon fresh parsley, 1 dash black pepper
Video
Notes
Ingredient Notes
-
- Smoked Haddock - use good quality, sustainably sourced smoked haddock. Dyed or undyed. In the US you might find this called Finnan Haddie or Finnan Haddock. The fish is smoked, but not cooked.
-
- Curry Powder - a medium curry powder will give a gentle spicy flavour but is not too overpowering.
-
- Peas Most Kedgeree recipes include peas. They give the dish a nice sweetness and add some colour and extra nutrition. Frozen garden peas are the best.
-
- Eggs. Eggs are a key part of a kedgeree recipe, probably because it started life as a breakfast dish.
-
- Butter. Traditional kedgeree is made with butter rather than oil and the butter brings a distinctive flavour. Use salted or unsalted.
Storing Reheating and Freezing Kedgeree
You can eat Kedgeree hot or cold. You should store it in the fridge as soon as possible as rice shouldn't be left out at room temperature. It can be kept in the fridge for 1 day. You can reheat it but make sure it is piping hot all the way through. Kedgeree can be frozen for up to one month. Cooked eggs however don't freeze well as they go too rubbery so leave those out.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
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