Hake with fennel and sun-dried tomatoes
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- no cooking required
- Serve
- Serves 2
Pan-fried hake is finished in the oven with softened fennel, cherry tomatoes, capers, saffron and white beans. A sun-dried tomato, chilli and oregano dressing adds a little heat, while crispy breadcrumbs give the dish some crunch.
Ingredients
For the hake with fennel
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 hake fillets (about 250g/9oz each), skin on and pin boned
- ½ fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 8 cherry tomatoes, halved or sliced
- 1 tbsp baby capers
- pinch saffron
- 125ml/4fl oz white wine
- 2–3 tbsp cooked white beans, such as cannellini or butter bean
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
To garnish
- 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, blended
- pinch dried red chilli
- 1 tsp chopped oregano
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1–2 tbsp fried breadcrumbs, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
For the hake, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan. Season the fish with salt and fry, flesh-side down, for about 5 minutes, until golden and a crust has formed.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a separate ovenproof frying pan. Add the fennel and garlic and cook gently for 10 minutes, until softened.
Add the cherry tomatoes, capers and saffron, then pour in the white wine and let it bubble briefly. Stir in the white beans.
Put the fish on top of the fennel mixture, golden-side up. Transfer to the oven and cook for about 8 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily.
For the garnish, mix the sun-dried tomatoes with the chilli and oregano. Stir in the olive oil to loosen the mixture.
Spoon the sun-dried tomato mixture over the fish, scatter over the fried breadcrumbs and serve.
