Introduction
As the sun starts to dominate our thoughts, leading us to think about those glorious days to come out and about in our Eribas. I also start to think about the different culinary experiences waiting to be had on our travels and wistfully remember some of my previous experiences. One such experience was in Spain when I came across this dish of hake baked in romesco sauce.
I am no stranger to romesco sauce having made it many times before but mostly used it cold as a dipping sauce with flatbreads and other cold tapas. There are various versions of this vibrant Spanish sauce that bursts with the flavours of red peppers, almonds and garlic. The use of it here to bake hake works wonderfully and it is ideal for the remoska and so the caravan.
I will include in this recipe how to make your romesco sauce. If you intend to cook this dish in your Erbia’s kitchen when out and about and you do not carry a stick blender in your Eriba’s kitchen, you might want to make the sauce at home and take it with you.
The Romesco Sauce
Romesco sauce (my version) is a simple blend of roasted red peppers, olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika, almonds, salt and pepper. The beauty of this sauce you can never make too much as any excess is perfect for serving as a starter course with flatbreads and other tapas.
Making this sauce is all about your personal taste and altering the quantities of the ingredients to suit your palate. Just blend the list of ingredients into a smooth(ish) thick sauce. Where I have put varying quantities of ingredients start with the smaller amount and add additional quantities as you make what is the perfect sauce for you. As it is all blended I cheat and use jars of pre-roasted red peppers, garlic paste and ground almonds. Feel free to go one step back and do it all from first principles.
This sauce should be silky and again the smoothness is down to personal taste. I do like a little bit if texture in mine. If you look at your sauce and think it is not silky enough blend in a little bit more olive oil. If it is a little watery add some ground almonds. This sauce to me, is about the Spanish flavours of red peppers, almonds and garlic. Some might like to add a little chili. I would add chili paste. a little at a time, just to give an accent to the flavour. Remember you can add it but you can’t take it away.
Ingredients
1 Jar of drained, roasted red peppers
35 grams of garlic pure
5 to 7 heaped tbs of ground almonds
100 – 200 ml virgin olive oil
1 heaped tsp of smoked paprika
Ground black pepper and salt to taste
Bake the Hake
The hardest part of this dish is the preparation of the romesco sauce and getting it to match your personal preferences. The overriding flavours should be the red pepper, almonds and garlic!
Ingredients
1 piece of hake to suit your appetite(s)
1 brown onion – sliced
50 ml Olive oil
75 ml Dry Sherry
Romesco sauce (see above)
Salt & Pepper
A small amount of chopped coriander and some pomegranate seeds for garnish.
Step 1.
Pour the olive oil into the remoska. Add the slice onions and give a stir to coat the onion in the oli. Season with salt and pepper. Replace the lid and turn on the remoska.
After about 10 mins when the onions are starting to soften give a stir replace the lid then allow to cook for a further 5 mins. Then add the dry sherry and continue to cook until the onions are soft and the sherry has been mostly cooked off.
Step 2
Add the hake on top of the onions and cover with the romesco sauce. Replace the lid and allow the fish to cook in the sauce for 20-25 mins.
Cooking time will vary according to the thickness of the fish. I like to get thicker bits of fish so the time quoted is based on that. If you use the thinner supermarket portions reduced the time. When cooked, the fish should be milky white all the way through.
When serving I like to garnish with a little chopped coriander and pomegranate seeds.
