Kedgeree: British Curried Rice and Fish Recipe
Kedgeree is a classic British comfort dish combining fragrant curried rice with smoky flaked fish, typically smoked haddock, enriched by spiced butter, aromatic curry leaves, and cardamom pods. This savory, mildly spiced one-pot meal is finished with fresh peas, chopped coriander, and topped with hard-boiled eggs for a satisfying and flavorful dish perfect for brunch or dinner.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 26 minutes
- Total Time: 41 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: British
Ingredients
Scale
Stock & Fish
- 4 cups (1 litre) low-sodium chicken stock or broth
- 500g (1 lb) smoked haddock or cod, skin-on (or other smoked fish)
Rice & Butter Mixture
- 2 1/4 cups long grain rice, uncooked
- 75g (5 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 15 curry leaves (optional)
- 6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 tsp curry powder (mild or spicy to preference)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Additions & Garnish
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1/2 cup coriander/cilantro leaves, roughly chopped (substitute green onion or parsley if desired)
- 3 hard boiled eggs, halved or quartered (9 minute cook)
Instructions
- Poach fish: Bring chicken stock to a boil in a large saucepan or small pot. Place the smoked fish in the stock so it is just submerged. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and poach the fish for 8 minutes or until it flakes easily. Remove fish onto a large plate.
- Flake fish: Once cool enough to handle, gently discard the skin by scraping with a butter knife and flake the fish into large pieces, checking carefully for any bones.
- Reserve stock: Measure out 1/2 cup of the poaching liquid and set aside to be added to the rice later for extra moisture and flavor.
- Cook rice: Add the uncooked rice to the remaining poaching liquid in the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then cover with a lid and reduce heat to low. Cook the rice for 13 minutes until tender.
- Rest rice: Remove the saucepan from heat while keeping the lid on and let the rice rest for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice gently with a rubber spatula.
- Prepare curried butter: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a very large non-stick skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the crushed cardamom pods and curry leaves, stirring for about 30 seconds to release their aroma. Add diced onion and minced garlic and sauté for 5 minutes until the onions brown at the edges, stirring often.
- Toss rice with spices: Reduce heat to medium. Stir in curry powder and turmeric powder, then add the fluffed rice. Toss the rice thoroughly in the spiced butter mixture until evenly coated and uniformly yellow. Pour in the reserved 1/2 cup poaching stock and toss again to moisten the rice.
- Season: Taste the rice and season with salt if needed, depending on the saltiness of your stock. Mix well.
- Add peas and fish: Stir in the thawed peas and most of the chopped coriander leaves. Gently fold through the flaked fish, keeping some pieces large for texture.
- Serve: Spoon the kedgeree onto a large serving platter or individual plates. Top with halved or quartered hard-boiled eggs and garnish with the remaining coriander leaves. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Notes
- Note 1: Smoked haddock is traditional, but cod or any smoked white fish can be used.
- Note 2: Curry leaves are optional but add authentic flavor; omit if unavailable.
- Note 3: Crushing cardamom pods releases flavor but be sure to remove pods before serving.
- Note 4: Poaching the fish gently in stock or broth infuses flavor while keeping it moist.
- Note 5: Using low-sodium stock helps control salt levels in the finished dish.
Keywords: kedgeree, British recipe, curried rice, smoked fish, smoked haddock, rice dish, comfort food
