Baked hake in chard, roasted tomatoes, caramelised lemon, garlic and almond sauce
This recipe from Ben Tish is a lovely way to cook hake – the chard leaves help keep the fish nice and moist whilst imparting a bittersweet flavour, and they look great too. The sauce is based on ajo blanco, which is traditionally served as a cold soup. However, served at room temperature, it makes a delicious foil to the rich fish. Caramelising lemons this way makes them sweeter and milder, and gives them a chance to soak up some of the tasty roasting juices from the fish. This is perfect served with a refreshing glass of Mirabeau Pure rosé, the ideal accompaniment to a sun-kissed Endless Lunch.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
For the almond and garlic sauce
- 25g of white bread, day old, with crusts removed and ripped into small pieces
- 125g of blanched almonds
- 200ml of water
- 2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
- 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar, good quality
- 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt
- black pepper
For the fish
- 4 large Swiss chard leaves, or 8 smaller, trimmed
- 4 180g skinless hake fillets
- 1 handful of dill fronds, plus extra dill for garnish
- 1 small unwaxed lemon, ends trimmed and cut into very thin slices
- 150g of cherry vine tomatoes, cut in half, seasoned and rubbed with oil
- sea salt
- black pepper
- olive oil, for cooking
Method
First make the sauce. Place the bread in a bowl and pour over a little cold water to soak. This will take about 15 minutes
- 25g of white bread, day old, with crusts removed and ripped into small pieces
Place the almonds in a food processor and blend until you have a fine powder
- 125g of blanched almonds
Now pour in the water and continue to blend until you have a loose paste
- 200ml of water
Add the garlic and continue to blend for a further 2 minutes
- 2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
Drain the bread and add it to the almond paste along with the vinegar and olive oil and continue to blend, slowly adding the water
- 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar, good quality
- 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
When the water is fully incorporated, season and reserve at room temperature until ready to serve
Bring a pan of salted water to a boil in a medium pan and blanch the chard leaves for 2 minutes. Carefully remove from the water with tongs, then drain on a clean tea towel
- 4 large Swiss chard leaves, or 8 smaller, trimmed
Once drained, lay the leaves out flat on a baking sheet (if you have smaller leaves, overlap them to create one large leaf)
Drizzle the leaves with oil and season with salt and pepper
- olive oil, for cooking
- sea salt
- black pepper
Place the hake fillets near the tip of the leaf, then season well and place a few sprigs of dill on top and a splash of oil
- 4 180g skinless hake fillets
- 1 handful of dill fronds
Wrap the leaves around the fish, then tuck the stalk under the bottom to keep it all secured
Place the lemon slices and tomatoes around the fish
- 1 small unwaxed lemon, ends trimmed and cut into very thin slices
- 150g of cherry vine tomatoes, cut in half, seasoned and rubbed with oil
Bake in the oven for 12–14 minutes until the hake is just cooked through and the lemons and tomatoes are nicely caramelised
Serve the wrapped hake along with the tomatoes and lemons, with the sauce on the side, and extra dill for garnish
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