Smoked Salmon Kedgeree with Green Vegetables

05/29/23

(Updated 02/16/24)

Meet kedgeree, the ultimate savoury breakfast. This nutritionist-designed kedgeree is packed with vegetables, and uses ready-to-eat hot smoked salmon which effortlessly flakes in. A nutritionally well-balanced meal idea!

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Oh the allure of delicious comfort food. Who can resist its charm? Mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and chicken noodle soup are all so good – and, of course, the humble kedgeree!

Kedgeree, with its culinary roots in the British Raj era, is a flavourful mix of aromatic curried rice, smoked fish and hard-boiled eggs. It was popularised as a hearty savoury breakfast or brunch idea and, while perfect for kicking off the day, makes a darn good lunch or dinner too.

As a Registered Nutritionist, this kedgeree recipe has been mindfully crafted by incorporating classic ingredients like rice, eggs and butter, while also considering nutritional balance. Each bowlful offers a source of protein (around 22g per serving, and easily bumped up with extra eggs or fish), veggies galore and an ideal balance of butter.

Gather Ingredients

Basmati rice. Aromatic, fluffy and perfect for kedgeree. The long slender grains kept seperate once cooked, allowing the rice to absorb flavour without becoming mushy.
Chicken (or fish) stock. To cook and infuse the rice. Chicken stock in a fish dish may boggle the mind, but it imparts great flavour (without tasting like chook).
Spices. A hallmark of kedgeree, reflective of its Anglo-Indian roots. Use curry powder, turmeric and coriander.
Hot smoked salmon. Delicious, but untraditional (usually smoked haddock is used). As it’s ready-to-eat, it saves prep time – simply flake in.
Green vegetables. We’re using frozen peas and spinach. For the latter, you can use a larger leaf or baby variety.
Hard-boiled eggs. To adorn the top of the kedgeree. You can scale up the number based on appetite or protein needs.

You’ll also need the basics: butter, a classic kedgeree ingredient o add richness and flavour; aromatics, like brown onion and fresh ginger; lemon (zest and juice) and fresh herbs brighten; and S&P to season it all to perfection.

Step-by-Step: Smoked Salmon Kedgeree

1. Kick off by cooking the rice with stock via the absorption method – here, that’s covered for 10 minutes on a low-medium heat, then covered without heat for 10 minutes. Fluff with a spatula.

2. While the rice is cooking, hard boil the eggs in boiling water. Make the most of the heat by adding the peas in the last few minutes. Rinse under cold water to halt the cooking.

3. Melt butter over a medium-low heat in a shallow casserole dish or deep fry-pan. Add onions and ginger, and sauté until soft and translucent, around 10 minutes.

4. Add rice, along with hot water, spices, herbs, lemon and a few generous turns of the salt and pepper shaker. Turn off heat and gently toss until uniformly coloured.

5. Add peas, spinach, salmon and repeat. Taste test and adjust salt and pepper until it taste right to you.

6. Peel eggs from their shell. Slice into quarters or halves and dot over top the rice. Feasting time!

Kitchen Tips

Here are tips and tricks to help your kitchen skills grow, while improving the final outcome of this dish:

Keep a timer or clock handy. Three elements of this dish are cooked in around ten minutes each: the rice, eggs and onions. If timed well, you can multi-task and tick tasks off simultaneously. Get the rice going first, followed by the hard boiled eggs, and then sauté the onions in between.
Watch the temperature. When cooking the rice, avoid a burnt base by making sure your heat isn’t too high. All stoves differ in strength. For a standard stove, use a medium high; for a strong stove, use low.
Don’t keep the cooked rice over heat for too long. When mixing ingredients together, keep the heat super low to stop the rice drying out. Use a splash more of hot water to rehydrate the rice if needed.

Serving & Storing

Kedgeree is best enjoyed hot off the stove, but also makes for great leftovers when properly stored and reheated. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge, and reheat with a splash of water or stock to moisten the rice.

The recipe is great as a meal for two hungry people (maybe three at a stretch, served with a side salad). Otherwise, it’s simple to double – the only area to take care is when cooking extra rice. You might need a larger pot, and a minute or two more cooking time.

Nutrition Q&A

Is kedgeree a balanced meal? It absolutely can be! Like any dish, it’s all about how you prepare it and the ingredients used.

Traditionally, kedgeree is made with a mix of rice, fish, eggs and various spices. This offers a good balance of macronutrients, including carbohydrates from rice, protein from fish and eggs, moderate amounts of healthy fat, as well as essential vitamins and minerals.

With fruit and vegetables a key part of a balanced meal, adding veggies to kedgeree (like pea and spinach in this recipe) or serving as a generous side, will tip the balance in favour of a more nutritionally balanced meal.

Thanks for reading! Are you after another hearty dinner idea featuring seafood? Try this Creamy Leek & Smoked Fish Pie🐟.