Roasted Hake Loin with Red Pepper Crust
Serves 6–7
Hake is one of the Atlantic and Mediterranean’s most underrated fishes. Part of the cod family, it offers pearly white, generous flakes and a clean, delicate flavour - especially when roasted on the bone.
The loin, the fish’s thick central section, consists of two fillets with a layer of belly encircling the backbone, comparable to a saddle cut in meat cookery.
Ingredients:
1 loin of hake, about 1.2 kg, prepared by your fishmonger
20 or so Borettane onions, peeled
⅔ cup Datterini tomatoes, red and yellow, split in half
12 pickled caper leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
Chicken or fish stock
The Crust Ingredients:
40 g fresh breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted soft butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons chopped dill, 3 tbsp parsley and 2 tbsp chives
2 tablespoons roasted tomato sauce (coarse) – a sauce made with fresh tomatoes and a garlic clove roasted in EVOO, seasoned and passed through a coarse food mill
2 tablespoons grilled red peppers, minced – cooked under a very hot grill until the skin is blackened, then cooled slightly and peeled
Salt, pepper and chilli powder to taste
Method:
Heat oven to about 210°C.
To peel the Borettane onions, cover them with boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and peel while still warm.
Place them in a single layer in a pan and add enough chicken or fish stock to come two-thirds of the way up the onions. Add a pinch of salt and a little EVOO. Cover with kitchen paper and cook until tender, then set aside.
For the crust: mix the breadcrumbs, soft butter, EVOO, mustard, herbs and roasted tomato sauce, and season thoroughly. Spread evenly on silicone paper, roughly 5–10 mm thick. Store in the fridge or freezer until ready to use.
Heat a heavy ovenproof pan over medium-high heat with a little EVOO. Sear the hake loin for a few minutes until lightly coloured, then remove from the pan. Use a palette knife to cut the crust to size to cover the fish, and place it on top.
Place the pan in the oven for 10–15 minutes or until the fish is just slightly underdone. Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes, covered with a sheet of foil, then serve.
