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You could consider hake an “everyfish.” You know, the type of mild, white-fleshed variety you can do just about anything with – grilling, frying, roasting, steaming; you name it. A bit more mild than cod and quite flaky, hake pairs well with just about any side dish and gives you a lot of latitude for creativity and style.
Tomatoes, capers, onions and herbs, for example, make unctuous complementary ingredients to cook with hake fillets. If you want to go “dry,” you can do that too. A little extra olive oil and you can re-create the taste and texture of pan-fried hake while you utilize the remaining oven space for matching sides like garlic roasted broccoli, oven-baked asparagus “fries,” and crispy salt and vinegar “chips” made with fingerling potatoes. Start with the basic hake-bake technique:
Prepare: Hake fillets don’t require any prep work themselves, other than patting them dry and seasoning them to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (or your spices of choice). Also, if you buy a whole hake fillet (they weigh about 1 pound), you might want to cut it into halves or fourths to make serving easier.
If you plan to bake the hake with complementary ingredients, such as onions and capers, cut, slice and dice the ingredients as needed. Heat the oven to 375F, and brush the hake with olive oil or melted butter.
Place a few sliced onion or lemons (at least 1/4-inch thick) in the bottom of the baking dish; this elevates the fillets and contributes to better browning. After you arrange the fillets on the sliced onions or lemons, add the secondary ingredients around them. Crushed tomatoes, thinly sliced onions or shallots, minced garlic and basil make a classic combination to get you started.
Set the dish on the center rack and let the oven do its thing. A 3/4- to 1-inch-thick hake fillet takes about 15 to 20 minutes to roast, uncovered. When ready, the temperature of center of the fillet will be 145F, and its flesh will flake easily.
Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the fillets and spoon some of the side ingredients over the top. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, if desired.
They may be from the same family but hake looks distinctly different to cod. Hake are streamlined and fierce with distinctive (and slightly scary) pointed teeth and a silvery belly. Despite its aggressive appearance, the flesh of the hake is a dream – firm, flaky and pale with a subtle flavour that is not dissimilar to cod.
While often overlooked here in the UK, it is a much-loved staple on the continent. Europe’s biggest consumers of hake are Spain – they get through around 6kg per year, per person. Hake can be caught all around the world, but most commonly in the Atlantic and North Pacific from November to March, with the European variety being the most prized.
Typically, hake is sold fresh or frozen but is occasionally sold salted or smoked.
What to look for when buying hake
Hake is noted for its long, slender body and visible front teeth. Only buy fish that are longer than 50cm with bright eyes and red gills. Hake fillets should have firm white flesh with no discolouration, blemishing or bruising.
Avoid buying hake during the breeding season from February to July and check the latest sustainability information to avoid buying fish from depleted stocks.
How to cook hake
Hake is a white fish which is rather grandly referred to as ‘the king of the fish’ by the Spanish. It makes a good alternative choice to other white fish such as cod or haddock. Due to its firm flesh, hake can be prepared in many ways from barbecuing whole to pan-frying the fillets. To check that it is cooked, the delicate flesh should feel firm to the touch and appear opaque. Do not throw away the head and tail – these can be used as a base for a flavoursome fish stock.
How to cook hake whole
When cooking hake whole, ensure that it has been gutted and the gills removed. Roasting is a superb way to cook a whole hake but it can also be barbecued, cooked en papillote or poached. When cooked in the oven, it should be covered with either a tight-fitting lid or wrapped in foil. The flesh of hake absorbs flavours brilliantly so if you’re roasting hake, add a generous amount of flavouring to the cavity and into slashed flesh before cooking to add flavour.
How to cook hake fillets
There are numerous ways to cook hake fillets. Popular options are pan-frying in a little lemon juice and butter, braising with herbs and aromatics or poaching in fish stock, wine and lemon juice. They can be steamed or roasted too. If you have more time, try curing the hake for 1–2 hours in a sugar, salt, citrus and herb mix then cooking en papillote with dill and lemon.
