BASQUE-STYLE HAKE WITH GARLIC AND SAUCE ROMESCO

Name: Basque style hake with garlic and sauce romesco
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Basque
Ingredients: ½ dried nora/choricero chilli; 4 MSC certified hake fillets, about 180–200g each, with skin on; 100ml olive oil; 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced; 20ml good quality agrodolce vinegar (e.g. white balsamic vinegar); 1 teaspoon chopped parsley; salt; 4 dried nora/choricero chillies; 100g whole blanched almonds; 6 garlic cloves, peeled; 12 roasted pequillo peppers; 1 teaspoon sweet paprika; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; ¼ teaspoon hot smoked paprika; 25ml sherry vinegar; 100ml olive oil; salt


COOKING TIME 20 mins	SERVES 4	CHEF'S PHOTO

A healthy recipe using hake (or any other white fish fillet such as cod, halibut or flounder), with a classic garnish from Northern Spain. By UK writer and restaurateur Mitch Tonks.


COOKING TIME 20 mins	SERVES 4	RECIPE BY CHEF MITCH TONKS

A healthy recipe using hake (or any other white fish fillet such as cod, halibut or flounder), with a classic garnish from Northern Spain. By UK writer and restaurateur Mitch Tonks.

Here's Chef's version, now it's your turn!

DID YOU KNOW?

Hake are one of the healthiest fish because the tender meat is very low in fat, and also contains phosphorus and calcium for healthy bone growth.
Hake are fished in the Southeast, Southwest and Northeast Pacific and the Southeast and Northeast Atlantic.

DID YOU KNOW?

Hake are one of the healthiest fish because the tender meat is very low in fat, and also contains phosphorus and calcium for healthy bone growth.

Hake are fished in the Southeast, Southwest and Northeast Pacific and the Southeast and Northeast Atlantic.

Hake become sexually mature relatively late which means overfished stocks will recover slowly. So it is important to buy only fully grown fish from sustainable fisheries.

Hake are nocturnal hunters. Their favourite prey are smaller schooling fish such as herrings, sprats, mackerels and sardines.

Ready to cook? Let's see what you need!

INGREDIENTS

REMEMBER TO

½ dried nora/choricero chilli
4 MSC certified hake fillets, about 180–200g each, with skin on
100ml olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
20ml good quality agrodolce vinegar (e.g. white balsamic vinegar)
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
salt

For the sauce Romesco

4 dried nora/choricero chillies
100g whole blanched almonds
6 garlic cloves, peeled
12 roasted pequillo peppers
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon hot smoked paprika
25ml sherry vinegar
100ml olive oil
salt

DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE RECIPE

Let's cook!

STEP 1

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Soak the dried chillies for both the fish and the sauce in separate bowls for 10 minutes, then drain and deseed.

STEP 2

For the sauce: Place the almonds and the 4 soaked chillies in a processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Add the garlic, roasted peppers and spices and pulse again. Add the vinegar, most of the olive oil (reserve 1 tablespoonful for later) and a pinch of salt, then pulse again to produce a thick sauce that is neither too chunky nor too smooth.

STEP 3

Fry the hake fillets skin-side down in a large, ovenproof frying pan in the reserved olive oil until lightly golden. Turn, then transfer the pan to the oven and roast the fish for about 5 minutes, or until just cooked through

STEP 4

Finely slice the soaked dried chilli. Heat the garlic in a little olive oil, add the sliced dried chilli and a pinch of salt. Cook gently for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to distribute the garlic and chilli.

STEP 5

As soon as the edges of the garlic begin to turn golden, take off the heat and allow to cool slightly. Add a splash of the agrodolce vinegar and the chopped parsley.

STEP 6

Remove the hake from the oven, put a fillet on each serving plate and peel away the skin. Spoon a little sauce over each piece of fish and serve with a spoonful of Romesco sauce.