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Merluza a la Koskera

35 mins

4 people

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

35 mins

Merluza a la koskera is a classic Basque dish using fresh line-caught hake, which is gently poached in a traditional salsa verde sauce made from chopped garlic, olive oil, fish stock and chopped parsley and served with tender white asparagus, fresh peas and hard-boiled eggs. My version is slightly refined by pan-frying the hake beforehand and serving it with sauté white asparagus, salsa verde and soft-boiled quail eggs.

Ingredients
Method

4 x 200g pieces of fresh hake, skin on
100g of fresh peas
8 fresh white asparagus
8 quail eggs
For the salsa Verde:
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of plain flour
200ml of fish stock
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Sea salt to taste

Firstly, blanch the peas in boiling water and salt for 3 minutes and refresh in ice cold water.
Trim and peel the white asparagus and again blanch in boiling water and salt for 6 minutes and refresh in ice cold water.
For the quail eggs, bring a small pan of water to the boil. Lower the eggs into the water for three minutes, timing them precisely. Meanwhile, fill a bowl with iced water, and when the eggs are done, remove with a slotted spoon and plunge them straight into the bowl. Leave them for five minutes and then peel, patting dry and removing all the shell.
Place the oil and garlic in a large shallow frying-pan and warm on a gentle heat for two minutes until the garlic begins to jump. Add the flour and cook slowly for a further one minute. Slowly begin to add the fish stock, mixing thoroughly until you get a sauce with the consistency of single cream. Cook for a further one minute on a low heat and set aside.
Heat a frying pan on a moderate heat, season the hake fillets on both sides and pan fry skin side down for 3 minutes or until crispy and well charred. Turn the fish over, add the asparagus and fry for a further minute. Place the fish skin side up and asparagus in the sauce and gently poach for a further 2 minutes, adding the peas half-way through. Add the chopped parsley and mix carefully until the sauce gains a rich green colour. Check the sauce for seasoning and serve with quartered soft-boiled quail eggs.

Ingredients

4 x 200g pieces of fresh hake, skin on
100g of fresh peas
8 fresh white asparagus
8 quail eggs
For the salsa Verde:
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of plain flour
200ml of fish stock
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Sea salt to taste

Method

Firstly, blanch the peas in boiling water and salt for 3 minutes and refresh in ice cold water.
Trim and peel the white asparagus and again blanch in boiling water and salt for 6 minutes and refresh in ice cold water.
For the quail eggs, bring a small pan of water to the boil. Lower the eggs into the water for three minutes, timing them precisely. Meanwhile, fill a bowl with iced water, and when the eggs are done, remove with a slotted spoon and plunge them straight into the bowl. Leave them for five minutes and then peel, patting dry and removing all the shell.
Place the oil and garlic in a large shallow frying-pan and warm on a gentle heat for two minutes until the garlic begins to jump. Add the flour and cook slowly for a further one minute. Slowly begin to add the fish stock, mixing thoroughly until you get a sauce with the consistency of single cream. Cook for a further one minute on a low heat and set aside.
Heat a frying pan on a moderate heat, season the hake fillets on both sides and pan fry skin side down for 3 minutes or until crispy and well charred. Turn the fish over, add the asparagus and fry for a further minute. Place the fish skin side up and asparagus in the sauce and gently poach for a further 2 minutes, adding the peas half-way through. Add the chopped parsley and mix carefully until the sauce gains a rich green colour. Check the sauce for seasoning and serve with quartered soft-boiled quail eggs.

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Chef's Profile

Javier De La Hormaza

Javier is a Basque born, trained chef and hospitality professional, owner of Basco Fine Foods, a Spanish food and drink importer based in Yorkshire. He regularly runs client food and drink events around the country and he is a course tutor at Hartingtons of Bakewell cookery school. Javier's passion lies on bringing quality Spanish ingredients and recipes to as many people as possible.

Twitter: @bascofinefoods
Instagram: @mrbasco

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Merluza a la Koskera