This is my all-time favorite breakfast or brunch dish – champagne on the side; in fact it’s excellent for lunch and dinner too.

I like kedgeree made with poached smoked haddock but that’s impossible to find in Colorado so I’ve substituted hickory smoked salmon that’s comes ready cooked and vacuum packed – delicious.

There are many versions of kedgeree out there; sometimes made with fresh or smoked salmon (hot or cold smoked), poached fresh or smoked haddock, smoked whitefish, scallops, shrimp, mussels or kippers – you name it – you make it.

The dish originated in India but I’ve never come across it in any Indian restaurant, probably because those old British colonialists brought it back from India and popularized it during Victorian times; so maybe its been disowned or perhaps it was created just to keep the Brits happy over there.

Either way, it’s thought to have evolved from a dish called ‘Khichri’ that dates back to the 12th century but whether that’s true or not, this version is great. You can eat it warm or cold – I prefer warm. You can make it with soft-boiled eggs or hard boiled eggs – I prefer hard.

Smoked Fish Kedgeree

KEDGEREE

(Serves 4)

7 oz / 200g basmati rice, cooked according to instructions, dotted with a little butter and kept warm

16 oz / 450g of pre-cooked hickory smoked salmon, broken into large flakes

2 oz / 50g butter

1 medium red onion, peeled, halved and very thinly sliced

2 teaspoons of curry powder

7 fl oz / 200ml of cream

½ cup of frozen peas, thawed (optional)

3 hard or soft boiled eggs, peeled and quartered

1 tablespoon of minced fresh parsley

Smoked paprika (optional)

Action:

Heat the butter in a pan and sauté the onions gently until they’re quite brown and starting to get crispy – add the curry powder and stir for another 2 minutes.

Gently fold the onions into the warm rice along with the cream, peas, half of the parsley and the salmon.

Arrange the hard boiled eggs on top after dividing the kedgeree between individual plates, or use a large serving dish. You can keep it warm covered with foil; dotted with a little more butter, a final sprinkle of parsley and a pinch of smoked paprika.