Recipe: Hake, Smoked Buttermilk Sauce & Crispy Crumb
Did you know that 80% of the seafood we eat in the UK is made up of just five different species?
Such high demand for the ‘big five’ – cod, haddock, salmon, tuna and prawns – puts immense pressure on wild stocks, leading to unsustainable fishing practices. So, to mark World Ocean Day (8th June), we’re highlighting a simple sustainable swap you can make at home – replacing cod with hake.
According to the Marine Conservation Society, MSC-certified European hake is a ‘great sustainable choice’, and as it’s also near-identical to cod in its meaty, flaky texture, it can be used as a like-for-like substitute. Here, our Head of Development Sarah Turner shares a cook-at-home version of our Hake in Smoked Buttermilk Sauce & Herb Oil with Seasonal Greens, Sea Herbs, Mashed Potatoes and Crispy Crumb. This elegant yet surprisingly simple dish is perfect for impressing at a dinner party, or for elevating your Friday night dinner…
This recipe was inspired by last year’s menu, but we’ve created an updated version for this spring-summer: Cornish Hake, Fish Skin Crumb, Grilled Gem, Mash, Seaweed Buttermilk Sauce, Sea Herbs. To see our latest menu, contact us here, or to find out how to make sustainable fish choices at home, check out the Marine Conservation Society’s Sustainable Fish Swaps.
Hake, Smoked Buttermilk Sauce & Crispy Crumb
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 Hake Fillets
4 tsp Herb Oil*
100g Sea Herbs such as Samphire, Sea Pursulane or Monk’s Beard
1 large bunch of Seasonal Greens such as Spring Greens, Hispi Cabbage, Cavolo Nero or Rainbow Chard
2 tbsp finely chopped Chives
Rapeseed Oil
Sea Salt, to taste
*You can make your own herb oil by blending soft herbs and oil, or buy pre-made such as Kentish Oils Cold-Pressed herb infused Rapeseed Oil.
For the mashed potato:
800g Floury Potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
100ml Whole Milk
50g Salted Butter
For the crispy crumb:
100g Leftover Bread Ends or Stale Bread, blitzed into chunky breadcrumbs
50g Mixed Seeds (we use linseeds and camelina)
2 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Maple Syrup
2 tablespoon Rapeseed Oil
NB: You can make this crumb in larger batches to use as a garnish for salads and vegetable sides! It can also be made gluten-free by using gluten-free bread and replacing the soy sauce with tamari.)
For the buttermilk sauce:
2 Shallots, finely diced
2 Garlic Cloves, finely sliced or grated on a Microplane
50ml White Wine
50ml Fish Stock
100ml Buttermilk
Method:
- To make the crumb, combine the breadcrumbs and seeds with soy sauce, maple syrup and oil until everything is coated. Either spread out on a baking tray and toast in a pre-heated oven at 180C fan for 5-8mins until golden, or you can do this in a pan over a medium-heat, stirring frequently so that they don’t catch. Once golden and crispy, remove and allow to cool.
- To make the mashed potatoes, place the chopped potatoes in a pan of salted cold water over a high heat, bring to a boil before turning down to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are soft but not collapsing. Drain and allow to steam. Pass through a potato racer or mash until smooth. In a separate pan, heat the milk and butter together. Gradually add to the potatoes over a low heat until you have your required consistency and season to taste. Keep warm by covering with the lid and a tea towel.
- While the potatoes are cooking, sweat off the finely diced shallots in a small pan over a low heat with a little oil and sea salt. Cook for 5-6 minutes until translucent, then add the sliced garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Turn up the head and add the white wine. Reduce the liquid by half, then add the fish stock and buttermilk, turn down the heat and cook very gently for another 3 minutes, stirring often. Pour the warm buttermilk sauce into a blender and blend until smooth. Season to taste and set aside, keeping warm.
- Place a plan of salted water on to boil to blanch the seasonal greens and sea herbs. Meanwhile, in a non-stick frying pan, heat a small amount of oil over a medium heat. Season the hake fillets with fine salt and plan skin side down in the pan. Turn up the heat slightly to crisp the skin, leaving undisturbed until golden, Turnover and add 25g butter to the pan, basting the fish until cooked. Thick fillets may require finishing in the oven.
- Gently warm the mash and buttermilk sauce if needed, and blanch the seasonal greens in the salted water for 2-3 minutes, and add the sea herbs for a final 30s. Drain and dress whilst hot with rapeseed oil and sea salt. Finish the buttermilk sauce by adding the herb oil and chives, giving it a light store without fully combining.
- Plate up by nestling a fillet of hake on top of the mashed potato, greens and sea herbs. Pour the buttermilk sauce and finish with the crispy crumb. Enjoy!
