Merzula en Salsa Verde (Hake in a Green Sauce)
Recipe by Annie Sibonney from From Spain with Love
In the first episode of From Spain with Love, Annie Sibonney prepares this Basque seafood dish.
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 pounds hake fillets, skin on
- Salt
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup clam broth or natural clam juice
- 1 cup cold water, plus up to 1 cup more if necessary
Method
- Carefully clean, rinse and pat dry the hake. Season the fillets lightly with salt.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy skillet.
- Add the garlic and cook about 5 minutes, until the garlic just begins to color.
- Sprinkle the flour over and mix thoroughly, about 1-2 minutes. Add 1 cup of water, clam broth or juice, parsley, wine and salt to taste. Decrease the heat to medium and cook sauce, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thick or just barely coats the back of a wooden spoon. You can add more cold water to loosen up the sauce if necessary.
- Lightly salt the hake fillets and add them to the pan, skin side up, in a single layer. Cook the hake fillets in the sauce for 2 minutes, swirling the pan constantly and sliding the pan on and off the fire until the hake fillets give off some of their gelatin and emulsify with the rest of the sauce. Turn the hake fillets once and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side, until the fish is opaque but not overcooked. The sauce should be very light green, slightly thick but still loose and light. Serve immediately.
