Make a sustainable swap

Chef Cyrus Todiwala’s tasty kedgeree dish uses hake or coley instead of haddock or cod. We asked two of our supporters, Wendy Greene and Jamie Jones, to try something different and give us their verdicts

Plate of kedgeree garnished with boiled eggs and parsley

The majority (80%) of seafood we eat is made up of just five different species (cod, haddock, salmon, tuna and prawns). That puts pressure on our fisheries and drives poor fishing and farming practices.

So, if you eat seafood, mix up the fish you buy. The Good Fish Guide makes this a cinch, with sustainable alternatives available for most seafood options. Why not swap cod for something equally delicious but more ocean friendly? Hake and coley are both great options: white, flaky and flavourful.

Our Ocean Ambassador, chef Cyrus Todiwala OBE DL, has created a delicious and sustainable kedgeree recipe for members, which is perfect made with hake or coley, which are rated ‘green’ in our Good Fish Guide.

Member Wendy Greene says: “Sustainability is important to me and I always use the Good Fish Guide when I’m shopping. My daughter and I love hake when we can get it and have used it diced in fish pie and in pasta dishes.” For our other tester, Jamie Jones, it’s the first time he’s tried hake.

Cyrus says: “This is a rice and fish dish originally prepared by the Anglo-Indians of India to make a fusion between Indian and British cooking. It hails from the Indian rice dish ‘khichree’, which is rice cooked with lentils and often added to vegetables. This one is an easy version, but you can add to it, depending on your taste. You could add some chopped green chilli, toasted cumin, chopped garlic and ginger for added flavour and perhaps a piece of cinnamon or some nutmeg. I would ideally add them all as it makes it really flavourful. In any case, enjoy. This dish is excellent when feeling under the weather, very easy to digest and moreover, a good filler.“

Preparation time: 20-30 mins
Cooking time: 40 mins

Serves 4 as a main course

Ingredients

50g butter
2-3 bay leaves

200g rice, basmati, long grain, or par-boiled rice is suitable
500g white fish fillet (MSC-certified hake or coley would work well)

4 free-range or organic eggs
100-150ml milk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or coriander
Salt, as desired or determined by diet
Crushed black pepper, as desired

Optional ingredients

Chopped green chilli, as desired
Chopped garlic, as desired
Chopped fresh ginger, as desired
Crushed toasted cumin seeds, as desired
Piece of cinnamon stick or some nutmeg

Ingredients

50g butter
2-3 bay leaves

200g rice, basmati, long grain, or par-boiled rice is suitable
500g white fish fillet (MSC-certified hake or coley would work well)

4 free-range or organic eggs
100-150ml milk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or coriander
Salt, as desired or determined by diet
Crushed black pepper, as desired

Optional ingredients

Chopped green chilli, as desired
Chopped garlic, as desired
Chopped fresh ginger, as desired
Crushed toasted cumin seeds, as desired
Piece of cinnamon stick or some nutmeg

Method

1 In a saucepan add 1 litre to 1.5 litres of water, then add some salt and approximately 10g of butter. If using par-boiled rice, add another 500ml of water. Add the bay leaves and bring to the boil. Add the rice and stir continuously for the first 2 minutes or so to separate all the grains. When the rice is cooked, drain and retain the liquid. The timing will depend on the type of rice you use.

Method

1 In a saucepan add 1 litre to 1.5 litres of water, then add some salt and approximately 10g of butter. If using par-boiled rice, add another 500ml of water. Add the bay leaves and bring to the boil. Add the rice and stir continuously for the first 2 minutes or so to separate all the grains. When the rice is cooked, drain and retain the liquid. The timing will depend on the type of rice you use.

2 Clean the fish and cut into bite-sized cubes. Poach the fish in the rice liquid for no more than 4 minutes. Remove the fish and set aside in a dish.

2 Clean the fish and cut into bite-sized cubes. Poach the fish in the rice liquid for no more than 4 minutes. Remove the fish and set aside in a dish.

3 Reduce the liquid to a consistency of thin custard. You can either use this liquid instead of the milk in step 5 (though milk would authenticate the recipe) or use half milk and half of the stock, or reserve it for later use.

3 Reduce the liquid to a consistency of thin custard. You can either use this liquid instead of the milk in step 5 (though milk would authenticate the recipe) or use half milk and half of the stock, or reserve it for later use.

4 Boil the eggs. Do not over boil. For best results put the eggs into boiling water and shut off after 7 minutes. Leave the eggs in the water for another minute and then drain and chill immediately. Chilling in iced water prevents any further cooking and at the same time stops the shell from sticking. Remove the eggshell and crush the egg yolk and chop the whites and then blend. The egg whites should be approximately ¼cm in size.

5 In a saucepan large enough to hold everything, add the optional chilli, garlic, ginger and spices if using, then add the rice and gently blend in the fish, half the eggs, remaining butter, half the parsley or coriander, and the milk or the combined liquid and season to taste.

5 In a saucepan large enough to hold everything, add the optional chilli, garlic, ginger and spices if using, then add the rice and gently blend in the fish, half the eggs, remaining butter, half the parsley or coriander, and the milk or the combined liquid and season to taste.

6Reheat slowly or better still turn out into an ovenproof dish and warm in an oven.

6Reheat slowly or better still turn out into an ovenproof dish and warm in an oven.

7 Serve in a dish sprinkled with the remaining egg and either coriander or parsley. I am an avid fan of coriander and prefer it to parsley to give it that little Eastern/Indian twist.

A bowl of Thai red curry mussels with a bowl of rice in the background

7 Serve in a dish sprinkled with the remaining egg and either coriander or parsley. I am an avid fan of coriander and prefer it to parsley to give it that little Eastern/Indian twist.

Our Ocean Ambassador Cyrus Todiwala OBE DL is the Chef Patron of Café Spice Namaste in the City of London. He is one half of BBC’s The Incredible Spice Men and appears regularly on Saturday Kitchen too. Cyrus is a staunch advocate of sustainable eating and how this is linked to marine conservation.

How green is your plate?

Check out the sustainability of the seafood you buy with our Good Fish Guide, which was updated this autumn, and make a ‘green’ choice when you next cook fish.

The fish you choose to eat can make all the difference to the health of our ocean. Our Good Fish Guide includes 337 ratings for wild caught fish and shellfish in UK seas, as well as seafood caught elsewhere in the world but sold in the UK.

But, updates to the Guide in October show only 13% of ratings for seafood caught in UK seas are green. Green is the ‘Best Choice’, making these the most sustainable options, amber is an ‘OK Choice’, but improvements are needed, and red indicates unsustainable ‘Fish to Avoid’. The rating for each UK fishery is specific to species, location, and fishing method.

“With the majority of UK ratings in the Good Fish Guide staying amber rated, it is evident that the UK has yet to fulfil its commitment to achieving world-class sustainability in fisheries,” says Charlotte Coombes, Good Fish Guide Manager. “In this latest update, there are regrettably an additional 12 red ratings. Urgent and improved fisheries management is imperative for the sake of our seas.”

See how the sustainability of your seafood stacks up in the Good Fish Guide. Tap the link and add the guide to your mobile home screen. And if you fancy testing a sustainable fish recipe, send us an email at membership@mcsuk.org