Components:
– A pair of hake fillets of around 160g each, cleaned and with skin intact
– Two tablespoons of vegetable oil
– Sea salt for seasoning
– A small slab of butter, approximately 90g
– Two hundred grams of French beans
– Five garlic cloves, thin slices
– Juice and zest from half a lemon
– A generous handful of freshly chopped parsley
First, heat a little pan and add in the oil. Sprinkle the hake on both sides with sea salt, and then carefully place it skin side down in the hot pan. Take care to gently press the fish with tongs or a spatula for about 30 seconds; this will ensure the fillet remains flat and doesn’t curl up. Continue to cook the hake on middle heat for another 3 minutes or until the skin is golden brown. Flip the fish and reduce the heat.
Next, melt the butter in the pan alongside the fish. Slowly introduce the thinly sliced garlic to the pan, allowing it to gradually caramelise in the buttery environment. Ensure you are carefully turning them on occasion to avoid them burning. Cook on reduced heat for close to 7-8 minutes till the hake is well-cooked, and then take the pan off the heat.
While your fish is being gently cooked, boil some fresh water in another pot. Season the water with adequate salt before introducing the French beans in. Let the beans cook in the boiling water for a mere 2 minutes, before straining them and setting them aside. Add these newly blanched beans to a separate bowl, along with some of the butter and caramelised garlic slices left over from the fish pan. Toss well to mix, and add some zing by introducing lemon zest as a garnish.
Once the hake is done, add a generous squeeze of lemon juice to the pan, and scatter a handful of freshly chopped parsley. Make sure your fish fillets are thoroughly basted in this zesty, buttery goodness before serving. Always check the seasoning before the final plating. Team the hake up with the lemony green beans, and voila, your British seafood preparations is ready to serve.