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Smoked Mackerel Kedgeree Recipe

"There are many different ways to make kedgeree, but I like mine subtly spiced, and laced with strips of omelette...

Smoked Mackerel Kedgeree Recipe

Ingredients

For the rice

1 tsp oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 bay leaf
3 cardamom pods, crushed (optional)
1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon and ground cumin
a pinch ground turmeric
90g basmati rice (no need to rinse)
200ml boiling stock or boiling water
1/2 tsp flaky salt

For the fish

2 smoked mackerel fillets
100g frozen peas (no need to defrost)

For the spiced omelette

15g butter, plus extra for serving
2 eggs, any size
1/2 tsp garam masala
to finish fresh parsley, chopped
to serve lemon wedges (see Trick of the Trade)

"There are many different ways to make kedgeree, but I like mine subtly spiced, and laced with strips of omelette rather than the usual hard-boiled egg. I enjoy the faintly medicinal crunch of cardamom pods in a dish, but if you don’t, locate and remove them at the end of step 1. If you have a little smoked salmon or cooked and peeled prawns to hand, these can be stirred in with the mackerel. For a more assertive curry flavour, add 1–2 teaspoons curry paste with the garlic."

TRICK OF THE TRADE 

If you’re ‘lifting’ a dish by serving a wedge of citrus alongside, the professional way to present it is to trim the point off each end of the fruit, then cut into sixths (oranges and lemons) or quarters (limes). Slice off and discard the seedy centre of each wedge and put each one, rind-side down, on a cutting board. Make a few cuts down into the flesh to stop the juice shooting into your eye when you squeeze it. 

Two's Company by Orlando Murrin, published by Ryland Peters & Small (£18.99)
Photography by Clare Winfield © Ryland Peters & Small

Method

  1. To cook the rice, heat the oil in a medium pan (one with a lid) and fry the onion for about 4 minutes, till golden. Add the garlic, bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin and turmeric and sizzle for a minute, then add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with oil. Add the stock and salt, stir well and put on the lid. Turn the heat to the lowest possible simmer – check there is just the odd bubble breaking – and set the timer for 15 minutes. Do not stir. Turn off the heat and leave undisturbed for 10–15 further minutes. 
  2. Meanwhile, put the smoked mackerel fillets in a heatproof bowl and the frozen peas in another, and pour boiling water over each to submerge. Leave for 5–10 minutes. When ready, drain the fillets and use your fingers to peel away and discard the skin. Break into bite-size flakes and add to the pan of rice (still covered) along with the drained peas, to keep warm. 
  3. Heat the butter in a small frying pan till the foam has subsided. Beat the eggs with seasoning, the garam masala and a splash of water, then pour into the pan. Allow to set around the edges, then lift the edges with a spatula and allow the uncooked mixture to flow underneath. When cooked to a soft omelette, slide onto a board and use the spatula to cut into strips. 
  4. Now stir the rice mixture, omelette and parsley together. Taste for seasoning and heat briefly if necessary. Pile onto plates and serve with a knob of butter on each serving and a lemon wedge at the side.

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