Hake Basque Style

As I build my blog you will notice that many recipes include hake which is a very popular fish in Spain. Apparently, we eat about 90,000 tones of fresh hake per year (about 2.5 kg per person per year) not including the frozen one.

It seems that this recipe, Hake Basque Style, was invented by a lady from Bilbao back in 1723, in May to be more exact, and it has been modified in one way or another since it made the rounds all over Spain for the last 300 years.

At home, my mum cooked it exactly the way I’ll be sharing with you and it is deliciously scrumptious. The taste of the sea is gathered in this one dish: fish, prawns, clams, all washed with white wine and simmered for a great experience.

I will not just say that but it is also the most festive looking dish that is prepared all year round in Spanish households. And mine was not an exception.

So please, enjoy this recipe that comes all the way from my kitchen to you.

You can find the step by step video to this recipe here:

Hake Basque Style

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins approx
Difficulty: Easy
Rating: stars
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Credit: The Spaniard’s Kitchen

Ingredients

6 Slices of Hake

Half an Onion, finely chopped

4 Garlic Cloves, chopped

Fresh Parsley, chopped

Flour
Salt to taste
1 Cup of Dry White Wine
500 ml of Fish Stock
250 grs Clams, washed
200 grs Peeled Prawns
2 Boiled Eggs
4 White Asparagus

Directions

1. Salt the fish, put the flour on a plate and pass the pieces of hake lightly on the flour. Tap them to remove any extra flour.
2. Put some oil in a pan and fry on both sides to brown them only.
3. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve.
4. In the same oil where you fried the fish, add the onions and scrub the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon and cook until soft.
5. Next add the garlic and cook both until brown.
6. On low heat add a bit of flour and salt, mix and cook for a few minutes.
7. Now add the wine and fish stock and cook for a few more minutes.
8. The sauce will start to get a colour to it and will start to thicken. Add the fish carefully. Shake the pan slightly to accommodate the fish. Don’t touch the fish as you will break it. Shake the pan for about 10 to 15 minutes to get the sauce to bind.
9. Add the prawns around the pan. Shake the pan and allow to cook for a couple of minutes.
10. Once the prawns turn pink, sprinkle the parsley on top and shake the pan.
11. Add the clams in their shell and allow to open (never eat any clams that have not opened)
12. Switch off and decorate with asparagus and quarters of the boiled egg.
13. Serve hot and enjoy!