Cheeeeeeesy seafood baked rice

Cheese and seafood may not be an obvious combination, but don't let that steer you away from this scrumptious classic from Hong Kong diners- the intensity of cheese can pair well with delicate flavours of seafood!

As a British colony, food in Hong Kong was heavily influenced by the English cuisine. We love the infamous fish pie, but you can't replace rice with potatoes in a Chinese's diet, hence baked rice. So here we share with you our take on this British classic, topped with a delicious and cheesy mixture of parmesan and mozzarella. Replace the rice with potatoes if you must and we will look the other way!

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

500g cooked rice (preferably refrigerated overnight)

3 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

vegetable oil

40g butter

40g flour

375ml full fat milk

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 leeks, thinly sliced

2-3 clove garlic, crushed

150g smoked haddock, cut into 1.5cm cubes

400g fruit de mar (defrosted if using frozen)

75g pecorino / parmesan, grated

125g mozzerella, grated

Directions

1. Season the beaten eggs with salt and pepper. In a pan, heat a tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and scramble for a couple of minutes until cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. If required add a tbsp of vegetable oil into the same pan. When hot, add the rice into the pan and stir fry, until the rice is lightly coated with the oil. Add scrambled eggs and toss. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Heat 40g butter in a saucepan. Once melted, add 40g flour. Whisk quickly and constantly to obtain a smooth paste. Once well mixed, add milk in 4 to 5 additions, mixing until well combined before the next addition. Once you have obtained a smooth cream sauce texture, add a small pinch of salt and pepper, to taste and mix in 1 Tbsp chopped parsley. Set aside.

4. In a large pan, heat 1 Tbsp oil. Add leeks, cook for 5 minutes or until softened, then add crushed garlic. Cook for a further 2 - 3 minutes, then add the fruit de mar and smoked haddock and cook for a minute or two. Add cream sauce prepared in step 3 and mix well. Remove from heat.

5. Pre-heat oven to 175 C. To assemble the bake, place rice into a casserole dish, and pat it down gently to create an even surface. Evenly distribute the seafood and cream sauce mixture on top of the rice. Sprinkle grated cheese evenly to cover the seafood. Cover the dish with aluminium foil. Place the dish into the hot oven and bake for 20 minutes.

6. Remove foil, and switch the grill on and allow the top to brown slightly, be careful not to leave it for too long or else it will burn.

7. Remove from oven, serve topped with freshly chopped parsley.