Anyone who has attended a live fish market in Spain, or stood at the fish counter in a shop, will have been bewildered by the sheer range of fish on offer. Where does one start?
Merluza (Hake) is one of the most popular fish all over Spain. Readily available and easy to cook, it is one of the lighter and yet most filling fish to enjoy whether you are dining out in the country or cooking at home anywhere in the world. The following recipe sees it combined with a little white wine, saffron and almonds. As i said to a friend who turned up on my doorstep without warning: “If I’d know you were coming I’d have baked a hake.”
Recipe for Merluza en salsa de Almendras (Fillets of Hake in an Almond sauce) – serves 4 people
Ingredients:- 4 hake fillets (of around 300 grams each), 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 peeled and chopped onion, 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, 120 mils of fish stock, 50 mils of dry white wine, 20 grams of ground almonds, a pinch of saffron, 2 tablespoons of fresh white breadcrumbs, seasoning.
What to do:- Heat a little olive oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Pan fry the hake fillets for 30 seconds on each side. Place them in a casserole dish. Add the chopped onions, crushed garlic cloves and chopped tomatoes to the saucepan and cook gently for up to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add the white wine, fish stock and saffron. Bring slowly to the boil, stir in the ground almonds and season to taste. Pour the sauce over the hake fillets, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake in a hot oven for 5-6 minutes.
