The Hour

Jacqueline O’Donnell, from The Sisters restaurant in Glasgow, shows how to prepare Arbroath smokie risotto, something you can cook at home in 10–15 minutes. Tied with string at the tail end and smoked over hard wood for between 50 and 80 minutes, the smokies are indigenous to Arbroath and “the best-tasting smokie you’re ever going to have”.

Add olive oil or butter to a pan, then add the risotto and coat it in the oil or butter – make sure that every grain of rice has a coating. Add a splash of white wine.

Making risotto is all about absorption, so slowly add some liquid.

Open up the smokies, break off the tail, and pull apart very gently and delicately. The creamy flesh should just flake away. Pull out the central fishbone, leaving just big chunks of the best smoked haddock.

Add shredded leeks to the risotto, and a tiny bit of butter is optional. Add a little sea salt and a grinding of pepper. The risotto should be nice and gloupy, with a soupy texture.

Take the risotto off the heat and add large pieces of smokie. Gently fold it through. To serve, spoon it into a soup bowl, and eat a healthy, nutritious Scottish dish.

http://www.thesisters.co.uk/

http://www.jacquelineodonnell.co.uk/