South-west coast Hake with crispy skin
With a Fennel and sweet Cabbage slaw
We weren’t intending on posting a recipe here but the photo of this recent meal looked so good that it spontaneously morphed into a post.
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Hake is from the cod family but in many ways (and certainly in the eyes of the Spanish) considered to be the superior cousin. Weird then in many ways that we don’t eat more Hake in the UK and export most of it to the continent. Easy to fillet with a large central bone structure and beautiful milky-pink flesh, it’s a delight to eat, especially with crispy skin.
This Hake is specifically a shout-out to our friends at FreshRange (here is a link to our affiliated store) and sourced from Samways Fish Merchants on the Dorset coast. It arrived beautiful and fresh.
There is no recipe really. Pat the Hake fillets dry out of the packet and season on both sides with Salt and Black Pepper. In a non-stick heated pan melt some butter with a drizzle of Olive Oil until foaming and then add the fish skin side down. Fight the temptation to mess around with the pan until the edges are starting to get crispy and brown. Flip over onto the flesh side and depending on the thickness it should only need another 4 mins or so (do not overcook).
The slaw is simply mandolin shavings of Fennel bulb with sweet heart cabbage and carrot. Add some chopped dill, lemon juice, seasoning, extra-virgin olive oil and dress with a little mayonnaise. Crunchy and fresh to contrast with the delicious fish — a great weekend lunch or light dinner.
