Hake with clams and salsa verde (merluza en salsa verde con almejas)

'One of the greatest things about Spain is that even if you don’t live by the sea, you’re still able to get fish and shellfish of great quality from many of the fishmongers at the markets," says Pablo. 'Hake is the fish of choice, but something like mulloway would also work."

• serves

  4

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

250 ml (1 cup) fish stock*

4 x 200 g hake or mulloway fillets, skin on

100 ml extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp plain flour

1 kg clams, cleaned 

2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

Bring stock to the boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm.

Season fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook garlic for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until well combined. Stir in fish stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute or until slightly reduced. Strain through a fine sieve and return to same pan.

Add fish fillets, skin side up, reduce heat to low and cook, spooning sauce over the top of the fillets, for 4 minutes. Turn fish over and cook, shaking pan occasionally, for a further 2 minutes or until fish is almost cooked through. Carefully transfer fish to a serving plate and keep warm. Reserve pan and sauce.

Add clams to sauce in reserved pan over medium heat. Cover and cook for 4 minutes or until clams open. Add clams to fish and stir parsley through the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, and pour sauce over fish and clams to serve.

* Available from selected delis and fishmongers.

DRINK 2009 Valmiñor Albariño, Rías Biaxas

As seen in Feast magazine, Issue 10, pg88.

Photography by John Reyment.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.