Product of the week: Hake

27/Jan/2012

Hake – with its long, tubular body and fierce-looking teeth – wouldn't win any beauty contests. But it is easy to cook, plentiful, great value and even manages to be a popular food with children, thanks to its subtle flavour. Massimo Pettinau, the chef at Applebee's Fish, explains how to get the most out of this deep-sea member of the cod family.

How would you describe hake?
The texture of hake is a bit flaky, like a cod but a bit softer, but at the same time it is a nice, meaty fish. It is also a moist fish. What I mean by that is that some fish dries out easily when you cook it, but the hake retains a lot of its moisture – unless you overcook it quite a bit!

What other ingredients go well with hake?
The fish has a really nice taste, but it is a subtle one, so the best thing to do is to keep the cooking simple. What we're doing with it in the Applebee's restaurant at the moment is grilling it and then serving it with steamed vegetables. The main thing is not to put something else with a very intense flavour on the plate, as that would overwhelm the fish.

What would you suggest to someone who hasn't cooked hake before?
The easiest thing would be to pan fry it. Put it into a very hot frying pan for about three minutes with the skin side down, turn it over and cook it for two more. Then take it off the hob and stick it into a hot oven – about 200C – for 6 or 7 minutes, and then it is finished. It is quite a thick fish, and if you cook it in the pan for the whole time it is very easy to overcook some of the fillet, which is why it is best to finish it in the oven.

Serve it with some nice mixed vegetables as a garnish: broccoli, carrots, celeriac, sprouts, green beans, cauliflower. Just see what is around the market at the time. It works very well with spinach and a bit of butter. For the sauce do something simple like a butter or a tomato sauce. Again, don't make anything that's too intense as that would mask the hake.

And to drink?
I would have it with a glass of white wine like a Pinot Grigio or a Chardonnay. Perhaps a rosé, but definitely not a red.