Sally Barnes smoked haddock risotto, poached hen's egg, tarragon, parmesan and lemon

Sally Barnes is a living legend in the smoky world of fish; she is talked about in the finest restaurants both in Ireland and abroad. I love her stuff, I love the way she cares about what she does and above all I love her simplicity. She started Woodcock smokery many years ago with a tea chest and a few fresh Salmon, now she exports her smoked Salmon, mackerel, kippers and tuna to every corner of the country. This is a dish to honour this great woman who I have the pleasure of calling a friend. Serves 6/8 1 – 1.3 litre of chicken stock 50g of good Irish butter 2 tblsp of olive oil 1 large onion, finely diced 400g of good quality risotto rice 150ml of white wine 150g of Sally’s smoked haddock 50g of freshly grated parmesan cheese Juice of half a lemon 2 tblsp of chopped tarragon 1 tblsp of snipped chives 6 poached free range hens eggs First bring the stock to the boil and keep it simmering. Melt half the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan with the olive oil, add the finely diced onion. Sweat gently until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the rice and coat in the butter and oil, cook for 1 – 2 minutes and then pour in the white wine. As the rice absorbs the wine add the hot stock 150ml at a time stir continuously and as soon as the liquid is absorbed add another 150ml of stock, repeat this process until the rice is cooked. About 15 minutes. The risotto is done when the rice is “al dente”. It should be soft and creamy and quite loose, rather than thick and dry. At this point stir in the remainder of the butter, smoked haddock, tarragon, lemon juice and parmesan cheese. Serve at once with a poached hen’s egg sitting on top. Delicious.