The Basque-style hake is a quick, simple and nutritious dish. Its ingredients are also a source of high quality protein: hake, clams, eggs and peas. Sometimes it is also called “hake in green sauce” (merluza en salsa verde) due to the color that the peas and chopped parsley give it.
Ingredients:
1 whole hake
200 grams of clams
2 eggs
50 gr of green peas
Some white asparagus tips
A bunch of parsley
1 onion or spring onion
1-2 garlic cloves
Salt and extra virgin olive oil
For the fumet:
The head and spines of the hake
Vegetables according to availability (onion, garlic, leek, tomato, etc.)
1 bay leaf
Clean the clams:
Discard any clams that are broken. Submerge them in a bowl with very cold water and two tablespoons of salt. Let stand for at least an hour so that any dirt or sand settles at the bottom.
Prepare the fumet:
Put the head, bones and other discarded parts the hake, the vegetables and the bay leaf in a pot. Add cold water to cover the ingredients completely. Bring to a boil, remove any impurities that appear on the surface with a slotted spoon and reduce the heat to a minimum. Continue cooking for 20 minutes and reserve.
Cook the eggs, asparagus and clams separately:
In parallel, boil the eggs for 10 minutes. Then submerge in cold water to stop cooking and reserve.
When using fresh asparagus, discard the lower end and peel them. Boil them in water with a little salt for a few minutes, until they are tender but not too soft.
Heat another pot and put the clams. Cover and cook for a few minutes until they have opened. Discard those that did not. Reserve the clams and the liquid that they have released, which will add a lot of flavor to the casserole.
Prepare the Basque-style hake casserole:
Cut the rest of the hake into slices and salt lightly on both sides. Chop the onion and garlic. Brown them over moderate heat in a casserole for a few minutes until they are soft. Add the hake and just enough stock to cover the pieces. Correct salt if necessary. Add the peas and boil everything for about 3 or 4 minutes. Turn the hake pieces over so that they cook on the other side. Continue for another 3 or 4 minutes. Finally, add the eggs (cut in halves or quarters), the asparagus tips, the clams and the chopped parsley on top.
Tips and tricks:
- The exact cooking time of the asparagus is not indicated with absolute precision, as it depends on the thickness of them.
- The same goes for the fish, as it depends on how fine or coarse the pieces are cut. In any case, this fish requires a few minutes to cook and it is preferable not to exceed the time, and eventually take the casserole out from the heat and let stand with the lid on for a few minutes, so that the fish finishes cooking with the residual heat. But over-boiling it would have no going back.
- As in so many other recipes, I have skipped the step of adding a little flour together with the initial stir-fry. This is done to thicken the broth, I prefer to do without it but I leave it to your choice.
- It’s possible to add the clams at the time of turning the hake, since about 4 minutes should be enough for all of them to open. If necessary, cover the casserole for a few minutes after turning off the heat, and allow the residual steam to allow all the clams to open. Discard those that did not.
- For more details on cleaning the clams, consult our recipe for marinara clams.
- For other similar dish ideas, see our fish and seafood zarzuela recipe.