Kedgeree

  • medium
  • 4
  • 1 hour 30 minutes
Not yet rated

Shay Cooper wonderfully twists a timeless dish in this gourmet kedgeree recipe, keeping all of the original features - curry spices, smoked haddock, rice - but preparing them with expert care. Shay also adds a few contemporary touches, such as compressed cucumber.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Curry stock

Shallot bhaji

Milk poached haddock

Risotto base

Garnish

Equipment

  • Muslin cloth
  • Vac pac maker

Method

1
Begin by preparing the curry stock. Place a pan over a low heat and add a dash of oil. Once the oil is hot, caramelise the onions, stirring at regular intervals. Add a dash of salt and continue to cook over a low heat for 30 minutes. Then, add the ginger and garlic and stir to combine
2
Cook for a further 15 minutes, then add the spices. Stir and cook for 5 minutes, then add the water. Reduce by half over a medium heat and set aside until ready to use - you will need 1 litre of hot curry stock for the risotto
3
Meanwhile, to prepare the bhajis, mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes
4
Place a medium sized pan over a medium heat and warm the milk until it begins to steam. Turn down to a low heat, add the haddock and gently poach for 15 minutes. Remove from the milk and gently flake the fillets while still warm. Set aside at room temperature until ready to serve
5
Bring a small pan of water to the boil and add the quail eggs. Cook for 2 minutes and 15 seconds, then refresh the eggs in ice water. Peel the eggs, slice in half and set aside until ready to plate
6
For the risotto, place a medium sized pan over a low heat. Add a dash of olive oil and sweat the shallots until they begin to turn translucent, then add the rice, increase to a medium heat and stir for 1-2 minutes to incorporate and lightly toast. Add the wine and allow to reduce by half
7
Add all of the spices to a small muslin bag, tie it up and add to the rice and shallots. Add enough stock to just cover the rice and continue to cook, stirring continuously. Once the stock is almost completely absorbed, add more and keep repeating this process until all of the stock is used up and the rice is just cooked but with a little bite (al dente)
8
Peel and slice the cucumber with a sharp knife or mandolin to achieve 8.5mm thick slices the length of half a cucumber. Remove the seeds, compress in a vac pac machine on full pressure and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove from the vac pac bag, dice into tiny cubes and set aside in a small bowl until ready to plate
9
Preheat the vegetable oil in a large pan to 180°C
  • 500ml of vegetable oil
10
Add individual strips of the shallot bhaji mix and fry until golden brown and crispy. Set aside to drain on kitchen paper until ready to plate
11
To plate, divide the risotto into 4 bowls and place the sliced eggs and haddock flakes on top of the rice. Garnish with the compressed cucumber and coriander cress and finish with a pinch of salt and some cracked pepper. Serve immediately
First published in 2015
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One of England’s up-and-coming, ultra-talented chefs with Michelin pedigree, Shay Cooper started cooking as a commis chef in 1997, before he was even out of school.

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