Smoked fish risotto with bacon & a poached egg

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Smoked fish risotto with bacon & a poached egg by Scrummy Lane

It was my birthday just over a week ago, and so Mr. Scrummy and I decided to go out for a meal to celebrate. Having just moved into the city, we weren’t too sure where to go so we took a little advice and booked ourselves into a place with a pretty good reputation for Sunday lunch. We’d left it a little late to book, so ended up with an early midday booking, but that didn’t bother us at all. We just made a mental note not to eat too much breakfast (and then did anyway – oh well, it was my birthday …)

When we arrived, we were seated at a little table for two that was ominously placed less than an arm’s length from the next. Sure enough, no sooner had we ordered our starter, than another couple arrived and were shown to their table … you guessed it, right next to our own, despite the almost empty restaurant.

So this is what ensued. We chatted fairly quietly, they chatted fairly quietly, and we all heard every word the others said. No matter how hard we tried to concentrate on our own conversation, all myself and Mr. Scrummy could do was listen to theirs. When you’re that close, it’s almost impossible not to.

making-haddock-risotto

You might think this would make for the meal out from hell, but actually the whole thing ended up being pretty entertaining. The other couple were certainly quite different to us (their conversation was a little more ‘high-brow’ than our own, let’s say), intellectually discussing this thing and that before moving onto an in-depth critique of the food and service (maybe they were undercover food critics?) Nothing wrong with all this, of course, but before long Mr. Scrummy began to roll his eyes and pull faces, which of course made me want to giggle.

In the end we gobbled down our dessert rather more quickly than we would have ordinarily done and got ourselves out of there asap. Awkward? Just slightly. I’m sure the minute we left the other couple breathed an equally as loud sigh of relief as we did when we walked out of those restaurant doors.

Smoked fish risotto with bacon & a poached egg by Scrummy Lane

The upside of this whole experience was that my fish risotto starter gave me a little inspiration for today’s recipe. I was going to call it ‘smoked haddock’ risotto because that’s the fish that you’d use for any dish like this in the UK, but after doing a little research I realised that you may not be able to get smoked haddock where you are. If not, any uncooked smoked white fish will work, or indeed any ordinary white fish, although the smoked aspect gives the finished risotto such a hit of flavour … and goes brilliantly with the bacon and poached egg.

You make this risotto pretty much like you would any risotto, except when you fry up your onion at the beginning you add a little curry powder. You then add stock (fish stock, of course) to risotto rice ladleful by ladleful until it’s all used up. Poach the fish in a little milk for a couple of minutes, flake it into the risotto, stir in some frozen peas, parsley, and a little butter and crème fraiche (or mascarpone if you can’t find crème fraiche) and you’ve got yourself a creamy, intensely flavourful and comforting bowl of deliciousness. Top it with a couple of slices of bacon and a runny poached egg and for me this is pretty much food heaven.

Smoked fish risotto

Smoked fish risotto with bacon & a poached egg by Scrummy Lane

Unfortunately, though, not for everyone. I suspect that this dish may fall into that ‘love it or hate it’ category. Like olives and brussels sprouts and blue cheese and licorice, beets, sushi, tofu, liver, prunes and … well, I could go on and on, of course. Poor Mr. Scrummy just HATED everything about this and declared that it was his food hell. I suspected he would, to be honest, but naively thought I might be able to win him over because there was bacon with it. So my pre-dinner spiel went something like this: Now I know you don’t really like ‘fishy fish’, I know you aren’t so keen on risotto and I know adding an egg on the top of things isn’t your favourite thing to do … but there’s bacon on it so maybe you’ll like it! Hmm … turns out he doesn’t get the wool pulled over his eyes so easily.

So would this be your food heaven or food hell? Come on, you can be honest. What else would be your food hell? For me it would be a big fresh cream slice with layers of pastry in it. Yuck.

Smoked fish risotto with bacon & a poached egg

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4.75 from 4 votes

Smoked fish risotto with bacon & a poached egg

Creamy, super tasty smoked fish risotto with a hint of curry - all topped with tasty bacon and a runny poached egg. Food heaven!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 
 

  • 1 small to medium onion, finely chopped
  • a little olive oil
  • 1 bay leaf, optional
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder, medium strength
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • 2 cups fish stock
  • 10 ounces smoked fish, uncooked – not smoked salmon, for instance - I used undyed smoked haddock
  • 1 handful chopped parsley
  • 2 1/2 ounces small sweet frozen peas
  • enough milk to poach the fish in
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons crème fraiche, or mascarpone cheese
  • 1 rasher of bacon per person, pan-fried
  • a few squeezes of lemon juice
  • 1 poached egg per person

Instructions 

  • In a large high-sided wok or pan, fry the onion in the olive oil for a few minutes until soft, then add the bay leaf, thyme & curry powder and cook for another minute or so.
  • Add the rice and stir really well, then add the fish stock one ladleful at a time until it’s all used up. If the rice still isn't cooked, add ladles of water until it is.
  • Meanwhile, cook the bacon and keep warm while you poach the fish. Bring the milk to a simmer, then poach the fish in it for a couple of minutes until cooked through. Discard the milk (or save it to make a fish pie!) then flake the fish into the risotto. Add the parsley, peas, butter & crème fraiche and give it all a good stir.
  • Finally, serve out the risotto and top each plate/dish with a squeeze of lemon, a rasher of bacon and a soft poached egg.

Notes

Slightly adapted from BBC Good food. If you can’t find smoked haddock, any smoked white fish will be fine. Just don’t use anything like smoked salmon – the fish needs to be uncooked when you buy it. If you can’t get hold of crème fraiche to stir in at the end, use mascarpone cheese, or even sour cream or Greek yoghurt. Anything creamy will have a similar effect!

Nutrition

Calories: 377kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 61mg, Sodium: 537mg, Potassium: 426mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 535IU, Vitamin C: 3.7mg, Calcium: 63mg, Iron: 3.5mg
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About Helen Schofield

Don't expect to find anything fussy or complicated here. Just QUICK, EASY & (mostly!) HEALTHY recipes from the Mediterranean and beyond. ENJOY!

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59 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I’m not a huge fish lover (or peas, or risotto for that matter!) but I saw this on pinterest when I was trying to move away from eating so much meat and thought I’d give it a go. It’s so creamy and luxurious! Eating it feels like a real treat. Thanks for the recipe!

    1. Thanks, Emma! This is one of my very oldest recipes, and my poor husband still remembers how much he hates it!!!! But I’m with you – love it! So glad you enjoyed it!

  2. This recipe is epic! Made it last week and hubby has asked for it again tonight. He’s not a ‘fishy fish’ fan either but reckons this is up there with his all time favourites. Thanks Helen! xx

    1. Hi Lou! Thank you SO much for taking the time to leave your great feedback. This is actually one of my oldest recipes, and I love it too. Unfortunately my husband doesn’t really like fish so I don’t make it too often, but now you’ve made me crave it again. You’ve made my day – thanks again!

  3. Thank you for sharing this! We just made this and it was incredible but didn’t realise how big it would be! What do you think the rules would be around freezing the remainder and using it? My partner and I are quite new to cooking together 🙂

    1. Hi Victoria, thank you so much for popping by and leaving your feedback – I so appreciate that! This is one of my older recipes, which I haven’t made for ages as hubby hates smoked fish, risotto, and things with eggs on top!! (I loved it though!). You’re reminding me how delicious it is. I haven’t tried freezing it, but I honestly don’t see why it wouldn’t freeze OK. Just defrost and reheat properly, of course. Good luck and all the best with your cooking journey together! 🙂

  4. Helen, this looks beautiful. Great photos – especially ones with the egg coming down the risotto. I like a solid breakfast, and this looks like it would give me energy for the entire day.

    1. Hello, Aida! Thanks so much for passing by! So glad you like this – and thanks so much for the compliment on the photo, too. I felt these photos were a little dark (dark, dull day!) but I was pleased with the runny egg pictures! 🙂

  5. What a beautifully composed dish! The saltiness of the bacon, the richness of the poached egg, the delicacy of the fish. Nice! We will certainly be trying this over at TBAFP kitchen. I’m eyeing a Belgian blonde whose fruitiness will complement the white fish perfectly and whose bright hops will balance the richness. Thanks!

    1. Thanks so much for the compliments, Andrew. You’ve convinced me to try the Belgian blonde with this next time I make it! 🙂

  6. Happy belated birthday, Helen! May the year ahead not be as awkward as your birthday lunch. 🙂

    I’m in love that runny egg! All sorts of unique flavors that come together to make something delicious, I’m sure! At least you didn’t have to share this dish with Mr. Scrummy. Haha!

    1. Haha … that’s one way to look at it! A big dish of risotto all to myself … and for lunch for the next two days! The only problem is, I didn’t hear the end of it from Mr. Scrummy because it made the microwave smell fishy for ages when I heated it up. Oops!
      Anyway, so glad you like this. Honestly, it was just delicious!
      Oh, and thanks for the birthday wishes. Oh yes, I really hope the year isn’t as awkward as that dinner!!

  7. Oh that sounds awkward. Sitting so close to another couple sure ruins your date. And it’s one of the reasons I never go out on Valentine’s night. But glad the meal sparked this inspiration. This is a killer dinner!!

    1. Oh yes, totally agree with you about Valentine’s. We don’t even really celebrate it! (I know, bah humbug!)
      Happy you like my ‘killer dinner’!

  8. Happy birthday Helen! Hope you had a great one! This risotto definitely looks like the most perfectly delicious meal! Love the smoked fish and bacon, so good and the poached egg is just amazing! 😀

    1. Hi, Jessica! Thanks so much for the birthday wishes … feels like ages ago already! 😉 So glad you like the risotto – it’s one of my favourite meals. Just wish Mr. Scrummy liked it, too!

  9. Okay! That egg, first of all! I need to keep practicing! This dish looks divine! So layered with flavor…Happy Birthday!

    1. Hello, Annie! Thanks so much for passing by! This certainly is a flavoursome dish – the runny egg on top is the risotto equivalent of the icing on the cake! So glad you like it!

  10. Wow! That’s an amazing combination of ingredients! 😀 P.S. Happy birthday!

    1. Hi, Michela … thanks so much for passing by. So glad you like this, too (and thanks for the bday wishes!) 🙂