Cod and wild salmon are off the politically-correct menu. Hake is a good alternative, says Hugo Arnold
Which fish to eat and which to avoid is becoming a hot political issue. I know people who refuse to eat cod. Wild salmon is a luxury, heading the way of sea bass, and the correctness of eating it is in serious debate.
One fish that seems to get the thumbs-up is hake. Poached, roasted, sauteed, steamed, served with an elegant hollandaise or something more rustic and gutsy, such as garlic and parsley, hake is as adaptable as fish come. Its sweet, fibrous flesh has a decidedly Atlantic tang to it, or at least it should have. When buying hake, avoid any that look tired and bedraggled; freshness is all.
You could do something grand, such as a traditional aioli - the best summer vegetables served alongside the poached fish and wobbling bowls of this garlic-infused sauce. But in truth the best recipes come from Spain and Portugal, where hake is held in high esteem. There, it is more likely to come with herbs and garlic, to be cooked in olive oil, or simply to be salted and cooked directly on intensely hot metal.
Hake benefits from salting as much as one hour before cooking (two is even better). This helps to draw the moisture out.
If you are tired of cold poached-salmon by now, think of using hake as an alternative. What it lacks in richness it more than makes up for in elegance, its pearl-white flesh just the thing to offset summer-green vegetables.
As for leftovers, if there are any, this fish is a delight tossed with spaghetti, olive oil, capers, garlic and parsley, a treatment that is superb with skate, too. That is, if I have resisted the temptation to pack a baguette with the fish, mayonnaise and a heap of crisp salad leaves, for an impromptu lunch.
If you are buying hake steaks, keep to the head end, which is more gelatinous and full bodied. The tail end becomes rather limp.
All recipes serve 4
HAKE WITH GREEN SAUCE
600g hake, cut into four steaks
extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
glass dry white wine
150ml chicken stock
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
1 tbsp well rinsed and chopped capers
1 lemon, trimmed and quartered
Season the steaks generously with salt and leave on a plate to drain for one hour if possible (two even better). Wipe the fish clean, lightly rub with olive oil and fry for two minutes on each side or until cooked. Transfer it to a shallow serving plate and keep it warm.
Add four tablespoons of olive oil to the same pan and gently cook the garlic for two minutes without allowing it to colour. Add the parsley, cook for two minutes and then add the white wine. Reduce by half, add the chicken stock and reduce by half again. Add the coriander and the capers. Check the seasoning and pour the sauce over the fish.
Serve with a quarter lemon wedge and plain boiled, sliced potatoes drizzled with more olive oil.
SALMON, GREEN PEPPERCORNS, CAPERS AND SPINACH
4 salmon fillets, each weighing about 180g
olive oil
4 handfuls spinach, well rinsed
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 glass white wine
2 tbsp capers, well rinsed
2 tbsp green peppercorns in brine, well rinsed
1 lemon, trimmed and quartered
Lightly coat the salmon in olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan and, when it is almost smoking, add the salmon. Cook for three minutes, then turn it over and cook for three minutes on the other side. Lower the heat, cover the pan with tin foil and cook for a further three to four minutes, or until the fish is cooked. Remove and keep warm.
Add the spinach to the pan and toss in the hot juices until it starts to wilt. Add the garlic, toss in the hot pan then remove it and keep it warm.
Add the wine to the hot pan, along with the capers and peppercorns, and boil up. Reduce by half and season with salt and pepper.
Place the salmon on top of the wilted spinach, spoon the wine juices over the top, along with the capers and green peppercorns and serve with a lemon quarter and a generous drizzle of olive oil.
CHERRY SALAD
As many cherries as you think you can eat, then double it
a sprinkling of sugar
a shot glass of eau de vie
200ml single cream
Stone the cherries. I realise this is a drag, but you'll thank me later. Combine the cherries with a sprinkling of sugar (how much you need depends on the sweetness of the cherries), and the eau de vie. Refrigerate and serve when chilled, with the cream.