Hake is a member of the cod family but has a more subtle flavour and slightly firmer texture than its more well-known fishy relation. It is the perfect foil for strong, punchy flavours such as chorizo here, and indeed it is a popular fish in Spain.
Serves
4
Cooking time
45 minutes
Ingredients
50ml extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tsp sweet paprika
100g chorizo, cut into cubes
1 green pepper, diced
1 green chilli, chopped (optional)
900g floury potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
100ml dry white wine
300ml chicken stock
4 hake fillets/steaks, about 200g each
some parsley, chopped
This is a simple one-pot supper but its simplicity belies its taste reward. If you’ve never tried hake, I urge you to give it a go and this is the ideal recipe to convert you!
Heat a good amount of olive oil in a large shallow casserole pan which has a lid (a big Le Creuset pot is ideal). Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook gently until soft and slightly coloured – about ten minutes or so. Next, add the garlic and paprika and fry for a few minutes, stirring, so the garlic doesn’t catch. Then add the chorizo, peppers and chilli and fry for another 3-4 minutes. Stir in the potatoes then pour in the wine and stock. Season and simmer, uncovered, for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender and the liquid has reduced a little. Give them a stir occasionally to ensure even cooking but go easy with the stirring as you don’t want the potatoes to break up.
Season the hake fillets and lay on top of the potatoes. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the hake is cooked through. Serve in bowls with a glass of Rioja.