Smoked Haddock Kedgeree

Lay the haddock in a wide pan and pour the milk and the 300ml of water over it.

Tuck in the bay leaves.

Bring it up over medium-low heat for 6-8 minutes, until the surface trembles and steam comes off it steadily.

Take it off the heat before it simmers. Milk splits at a boil, and smoked haddock held at one goes from silky to rubbery inside a minute.

Cover the pan and leave the fish in the hot liquid for 5 minutes, until it flakes when pushed with a spoon.

Lift the fish onto a plate with a slotted spoon.

Strain the poaching liquid through a sieve into a jug and measure out 480ml, keeping the rest back in case the rice runs dry.

Lower the eggs into a pan of boiling water and cook for 8 minutes.

Lift them straight into cold water for 2 minutes, which stops them cooking on and makes them peel cleanly.

Peel the eggs and cut each into quarters.

Melt the butter in a wide heavy pan with a tight-fitting lid, over medium-low heat.

Cook the onion for 8-10 minutes, stirring now and then, until it is soft and translucent with no colour on it.

Stir in the curry powder and turmeric and cook for 1 minute, until they smell toasted rather than dusty.

Add the rinsed rice and turn it through the butter for 1-2 minutes, until every grain is coated and glossy.

Pour in the 480ml of measured poaching liquid.

Bring it to a boil.

Turn the heat as low as it will go and put the lid on.

Cook for 10-12 minutes, until the liquid has gone and only a faint hiss of steam escapes at the rim.

Use a heavy pan and the lowest setting you have. The milk sugars in the poaching liquid catch on the base far more readily than plain water would, and scorched milk taints the whole dish.

Take the pan off the heat and stand it, lid on, for 10 minutes.

Flake the haddock into large pieces while the rice stands, pulling the skin away and feeling for pin bones as you go.

Lift the lid and loosen the rice with a fork.

Add the fish, the quartered eggs and most of the parsley.

Fold it all together with two or three turns of a spoon and stop there. Any more and the fish shreds to threads and the yolk smears yellow through the rice.

Taste before seasoning, since smoked haddock brings a good deal of salt of its own.

Season with fine salt and the ground peppercorns.

Scatter over the rest of the parsley.

Serve with the lemon wedges, with a squeeze over each plate.