Pan-fried hake with mushrooms, beans, kale and sesame dressing

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Hake is a sustainable and delicious fish to cook, and this recipe certainly does the fillet justice. Paired with flash-fried wild mushrooms and a warm kale and bean salad, the dressing of soy sauce and sesame oil works surprisingly well with the earthy, autumnal flavours.

First published in 2019

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Parsley oil

  • 1 bunch of fresh parsley
  • 200ml of groundnut oil, or any neutral-flavoured oil

Hake and mushrooms

White beans and kale

Method

1
Make the parsley oil by blanching the parsley in boiling water for 30 seconds. Refresh in iced water to retain the herb's green vibrancy
2
Drain and place the parsley into a blender with the groundnut oil and blitz until completely smooth. Strain through a muslin cloth into a bowl or jug and set aside
3
Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on the white flesh of your hake fillets– this will keep the fish firm. Set aside
4
Heat a knob of butter in a large frying pan until it bubbles, then add the sliced onion. Sauté gently for at least 15–20 minutes, so that it softens properly and sweetens up
5
Add the garlic and stir through for another 5 minutes, then add the kale and mix. Cover and leave to gently steam for 6–8 minutes, or until wilted but still nice and green
6
Add the beans, heat through and keep warm until ready to serve
7
Now is the time to cook the hake. Place the fillets skin-side down in a cold pan and place over a medium heat. Fry for 4 or 5 minutes, then turn to cook for another minute
8
Meanwhile, in another pan, add the other knob of butter and place over a fairly high heat. Add the mushrooms and toss so that they brown quickly but don't lose too much moisture. Season with a pinch of salt
9
Before serving, mix together the sesame oil, soy and vinegar, then use this to dress the beans and kale
10
Serve a portion of the bean and kale mixture in the middle of the plate. Dot the wild mushrooms around the outside and crown the kale with a piece of hake. Finish by drizzling the parsley oil over the fish and around the outside

Danny is a food adventurer, home grower, supper club host and writer of the entertaining and quirky epicurean blog, Food Urchin.

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