Here's the fourth dish in our December series of Catalan Christmas classics. It's perfect for the days after Christmas when you need a break from those abundant festive meals: hake with green sauce and clams. Fish delish!
In Barcelona, we return to the Boqueria market as our starting point for this dish; and wherever you are, the easiest way to get the ingredients you need is to ask your local trusted fishmonger to help you: the fish you need is hake, cut into 4 supremes, but also taking the head and other waste cuts home with you (we don't waste them!). You also need to ask for clams to accompany the fish. You'll need a little white wine at hand and vegetables for a broth, which will form the basis of the sauce, along with the fish head.
The broth needs a good hour of simmering to acquire its flavour, while the pieces of hake and the clams are a question of a very few minutes, cooked in the sauce itself. The clams open up with the steam of the sauce. It's the perfect dish for a lighter lunch to make up for all those days of Christmas abundance.
Here's our chef Oscar Manresa to show us how.
Ingredients for 4 people:
4 supremes of hake, about 160g/6oz each
16 clams
Parsley
A little flour
2 cloves
of garlic
1/2 celery
1/2 onion
1/2 carrot
1/2 leek
1 glass of white
Method:
1. Boil water in a saucepan and add the chopped vegetables along with the fish head and any other surplus cuts, simmering for an hour or so.
2. Lightly salt the pieces of hake.
3. Brown the chopped garlic in a frying pan, add the flour and then the broth (through a strainer to avoid fishbones), and a good splash of wine.
4. Add the pieces of fish and clams to cook in the sauce, as well as the chopped parsley.
5. Turn the fish, spoon the sauce over it, and withdraw when very lightly cooked - it won't take long.