We are always keen to teach our students new ways to cook with fish and this delicious recipe using hake has proved a real hit. Why not try it for yourself. The pearl barley makes an interesting change from traditional risotto rice.
Ingredients
- 4 x 80g hake fillets (skin on)
- 100g Cornish sea salt
- 2 banana shallots
- 2 sticks celery
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ stick leek
- 50g butter
- 200g pearl barley (rinsed)
- 1 litre fish stock
- Glass of white wine
- 50g parmesan cheese (finely grated)
Method
- Cover the hake with the salt and refrigerate for half an hour. Rinse well, pat dry and place back in the fridge wrapped tightly in cling film
- Finely chop the shallot, celery, leek and garlic and sweat in the butter and a little oil for about five minutes without allowing to colour
- Add the pearl barley and cook for a further three minutes
- Turn up the heat, add the white wine and reduce
- Gradually add the stock until the barley is cooked through. It should still have a bite to it. This should take about 8-10 minutes
- Add half the parmesan cheese and set aside
- To make the parmesan crisps, place the cheese thinly in a desired shape on baking parchment & bake at 200 degrees centigrade until golden brown (about five minutes). Cool.
- To cook the fish place it skin side down in a hot pan with a little oil until the skin is charred and crispy. Turn it over and bake for three to four minutes at 200 degrees centigrade
- To serve place a little risotto on a plate, top with the fish, a shard of parmesan crisp, salsa verde and fresh dill or fennel
Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- Handful of mixed, fresh herbs (parsley, mint, basil)
- Clove of garlic
- Splash of lemon juice
- 100ml rapeseed oil
- 5 anchovy fillets
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Place all ingredients into a liquidizer and blend until smooth