Fish on Friday: Pan-Fried Garlic and Peppered Hake Fillets Recipe (2024)

Fish on Friday:

Pan-Fried Garlic and Peppered Hake Fillets Recipe

From boat to plate in under a week is how I like my fish, no thousands of miles of being frozen in blocks on containerships, from the Far East or Bangladesh, but into my frying pan within a few days of being caught in the North Atlantic, andbyBritish fishermen please!And whywouldn’t any of us who liveintheBritishIsles prefer it that way? We are an Island nation with sea all around us and some of the best fishing waters in the world. I have to profess to being a cold water fish fan too; the types of fish that our fishermen catch in the cold North Atlantic is diverse and of excellent quality, and who can resist fresh cod, haddock, coley (Saithe), hake, pollack, sole, plaice, whiting or herrings; and I name but a few varietiesthatare caught locally. Of all the fish that is landed by the Budding Rose who sails out of Peterhead in Scotland, and then bought and carefully prepared (skinned, boned and filleted, as well as smoked) by John at Delish Fish, my favourite fish by far is the humble hake.

Hake are deep-sea members of the cod family and are popular throughout Europe and America. Hake is quite a mild fish, with a white flaky texture and a flavour that is more subtle than that of cod. The flesh when raw is naturally very soft, but when cooked it becomes firm and meaty. In France, hake is called ‘saumon blanc’ (which translates as ‘white salmon’), butwhateverthe name, I LOVE it. It’s a perfect fish for children, as it is mild and not overly “fishy” in flavour; it is easy to cook, can be poached, fried, roast, steamed, curried or thrown in a pie. The French and Spanish go crazy for it, and it pains me to say that most of what is caught off our coastline is sent toFranceand Spain,which, is pure madness! The photo of the Budding Rose above, was the vessel that caught the hake that you see prepared and cooked in my photos, just over a week ago. I ate as much as I could fresh, and then popped the rest in the freezer, and today, there was an almost instant meal for me after a few hours defrosting it.

If you areinterestedin seeing more photos of the fish market and the Budding Rose and Lapwing that caught my fish, then I posted several last week here:Win a £50 Fish Voucher! Fresh Scottish Fish and Festive Fish Tagine Recipe.This is my second post as part of my rather pleasant Fish Fanatic duties, where Ireceivefish, cook it and the wrote about it……it’s a hard life, but someone has to do it! My last package as part of the Fish Fanatics scheme comprised: wild hake, wild cod, wild haddock, wild smoked haddock and smoked mackerel……..a fabulous fishy haul!

Anyway, back to my Fish on Friday post; I am currently hosting, on behalf of Fish is the Dish, a competition where you can add any of your fishy recipes to a link, and the best recipe wins £50 of fish vouchers.…..we have had NO takers so far, so please DO enter! The link to the contest is here:Win a £50 Fish Voucher!You can enter ANY recipe you like, but the emphasis is on Festive Fish recipes…..Today’s recipe may not seem very festive, but in my experience after only two or three days of rich fare and chocolate bingeing, a simple pan-fried fish recipe that is on the table in FIFTEEN minutes is verywelcome.

The recipe for this simple supper is below and it is also a great meal for the little ones, a healthy fish and chips (baked potato) recipe that will please all the family. You can of course serve it with chips, oven chips maybe, or even mashed potatoes – I served mine today with spinach, baby baked potatoes and some pan-fried tomatoes. Keep this recipe tucked away for over the festive period when a simple lunch or supper is needed, and don’t forget, British fish and seafood is so much better than frozen imports and supports our dwindling fishing industry! Have a great weekend and see you later…….Karen

What is your favourite fish attheFish and Chip shop – Haddock or Cod?

Win a £50 Fish Voucher with Fish is the Dish

Day Seven on the Advent Calender

7th December: