Mary Berry shares cooking tip for perfect ‘jammy’ eggs

A cherished British recipe, kedgeree comprises curried rice, flaked fish and boiled eggs to make a tasty meal.

While the variations are endless, Mary Berry prefers to make hers with undyed smoke haddock, basmati rice and what she calls “jammy eggs”.

Sharing the recipe from her book Mary Berry’s Highland Christmas, Mary described kedgeree as “one of my [her] absolute favourite dishes”.

The beloved British cook suggested that it’s an ideal breakfast to feed a crowd or enjoy for lunch or dinner after preparing it.

As for cooking the eggs to perfection, Mary’s approach is a simple and gentle one.

Method

First, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 then prepare the fish. Take a large sheet of kitchen foil and position it on a baking sheet, then sit the haddock on top, skin-side down.

Portion half of the butter on top of the fish then cut the lemon in half. One half should be sliced into six thin slices and laid over the fish.

Squeeze the juice of the other lemon half on top then fold over the sides of the foil to make a parcel, with the join at the side. Cook the fish in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until cooked and easily flaked up.

Take the skin off the cooked fish and retain the buttery juices by keeping them in the parcel. Now prepare some oil in a large frying pan and place over high heat on the hob.

Add the chopped onion and cook for two minutes, then add the garlic and spices plus the uncooked rice and stir.

Add the stock, bay leaves and plenty of salt and pepper then cover the pan with a lid and boil for two minutes. Lower to a simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed to cook the rice.

Allow a slight crunch in the rice rather than cooking it until completely soft. If a little too dry, add some more stock.

Now for the jammy eggs. Mary’s trick is to cook the eggs in cold water that is boiled on the hob rather than in a kettle. She said: “To boil the eggs, bring a small pan of water to a gentle boil and carefully lower in the eggs. Cook for about six minutes for a jammy yolk.”

The secret to perfect eggs comes after they’re cooked. Carefully remove them from the pan and run under cold water. Finally, when cool enough to handle, gently peel off the shell and cut the whole egg into quarters.

Quickly add the spinach to the pan before taking it off the heat and stir in the cream, plus the butter juices from the fish parcel. Portion into a warm serving dish and scatter with the flaked haddock and eggs.