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FOTM Hake cooked in the Basque style (2).jpg

Hake Cooked in the Basque Style with Garlic and Romesco Sauce

Mitch Tonks

Mitch Tonks

In San Sebastian we enjoyed a simple preparation of hake split through the head and roasted over a fire. It was dressed with olive oil, vinegar and sliced dried peppers. It has encouraged us to use more vinegar in our cooking.

Ingredients

  • 4 hake fillets, about 180/200g each, skin on Mixed ratings!
  • half a dried nora/choricero chilli
  • 100ml olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
  • 20ml good-quality agrodolce vinegar
  • 1 tsp chopped parsley
  • For the Romesco sauce:
  • 4 dried nora/choricero chillies
  • 100g whole blanched almonds
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 6 roasted and peeled peppers
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • quarter tsp hot smoked paprika
  • 25ml sherry vinegar
  • 100ml olive oil
  • salt
!
Support seafood sustainability by varying what you use
The recipe also works with Atlantic cod , Cape hake , Coley , Haddock , Pollack , Pouting and Whiting

Preparation

  • 01

    Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/Gas Mark 6

  • 02

    Soak the dried chillies for both the fish and the sauce in separate bowls for 10 minutes, then drain and deseed.

  • 03

    Begin by making the sauce Romesco. Place the almonds and the 4 soaked chillies in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.

  • 04

    Add the garlic, roasted peppers and spices and pulse again to combine.

  • 05

    Add the vinegar, most of the olive oil (reserve 1 tablespoon for later) and a pinch of salt, then pulse again to produce a thick sauce that is neither too chunky nor too smooth.

Cooking

  • 01

    Fry the hake fillets skin-side down in a large, ovenproof frying pan in the reserved 1 tablespoon olive oil until lightly golden.

  • 02

    Turn, then transfer the pan to the oven and roast the fish for about 5 minutes, or until just cooked through.

  • 03

    Meanwhile, finely slice the soaked dried chilli.

  • 04

    Heat the garlic, remaining olive oil, the sliced dried chilli and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Cook gently for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to distribute the garlic and chilli.

  • 05

    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.

  • 06

    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.

Mitch Tonks

Mitch Tonks