Hake in green sauce with asparagus

This recipe comes from the Spanish Basque country.  The dish is a perfect blend of the flavours and textures of hake and asparagus.  They both contribute to the unctuous sauce.  The dish is best made with hake steaks on the bone, but it is however very good made with hake fillets.  The skin contributes to the dish and should not be removed.

Preparation Time: 10 Mins

Cooking Time: 25 Mins

Total Time: 35 Mins

Ingredients

For 2 servings…

1 bunch           Asparagus  - hard ends cut off  

                      Salt          

3 cloves           Garlic  - chopped finely          

2 tbs               Olive oil    

1½ tsp            Flour        

2 tbs               Parsley  - chopped finely        

2 steaks           Hake        

Method

Boil the asparagus for 5 minutes in salted water until they are tender.  Drain and keep the cooking water.

In a large frying pan, soften the garlic with the oil over a gentle heat for a few seconds until the aroma rises - do not let it brown.  Add the flour and stir for a minute.  Add the parsley, then gradually add 250 ml of the reserved cooking water from the asparagus, a little at a time, stirring continuously.  Add a pinch of salt and simmer uncovered over a medium heat for 8 minutes until the sauce thickens a little.  Add a little extra asparagus water if necessary to keep the sauce amalgamated.

Put in the fish steaks.  Move them around to allow the white liquid they release to mix with the sauce.

Turn the fish steaks over after 5 minutes, arrange the asparagus around them, and cook over a low heat for 3 minutes until the fish only just begins to flake away from the bone when you cut into it with a pointed knife.

Serve.

Wine recommendations

Conventional

     Jurançon sec

Interesting

     Côtes de Gascogne blanc

     Entre-deux-Mers

     Pinot Gris