Baked Hake with Serrano, White Beans & Baby Greens

Normally when I have hake, which is a meaty fish similar to cod, I tend to cook it with a Spanish stew, but the weather is so warm at the moment and I wanted something more summery.

I spotted a tin of cannellini beans in the store cupboard, so imaging France, wine and cassoulets.. I came up with this light and tasty supper. Hake fillet, sprinkled with a little paprika and baked. A cassoulet with beans, garlic, white wine, serrano and shredded baby greens. (Which with the serrano, paprika and Spanish wine, turned out to be possibly Spanish anyway!). Enjoy!

Ingredients:   (Serves 2)

2 x hake fillets, skinned and boned
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
70g serrano ham, slices halved
1 glass white wine
100ml vegetable stock (cube is fine)
400g tin cannellini beans
100g baby leaf greens, shredded
juice of 1 lemon

Method

Drain the cannellini beans in a colander and rinse, set to one side. Cook the shredded greens in boiling water for 5 minutes and add to the beans in the colander.

Add the olive oil to a large pan and fry the onion, garlic and serrano for a few minutes until onion is cooked and serrano browning and beginning to get crispy. With the heat up, add the glass of wine and cook on a high heat until the wine evaporates. Add the stock, beans and greens and stir through well. With the back of a fork, mash the beans into the sauce to thicken. Turn heat to simmer.

Put the hake in a shallow dish and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and a little paprika (smoked paprika if liked). Bake in a 200 C oven for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through.

Season the cassoulet with a little salt and pepper and the juice of a small lemon, tasting to check the seasoning.

Serve the fish on top of the cassoulet and drizzle with a little oil. Have with crusty bread and a glass of white wine, if liked. We had Trisquel and it was perfect! 

Home made bread is lovely with this.

Delicious Spanish wine.