This fish, according to a friendly assessment of nutritionists and culinary experts, occupies one of the first places in the list of seafood in the entire post-Soviet space (many still probably remember the “dramatic” price tag: “headless hake”, a modest attribute of the corresponding department of grocery stores). And all because this fish is nutritious, tasty, has a small number of bones and excellent structure, allowing home cooks to cook it in various variations. But the bake in the oven is especially good. And this inhabitant of the seas is quite accessible to ordinary citizens. Today we will tell you how to cook several dishes from it.
Oven-baked hake: the recipe is simple, but with a twist
With honey and garlic, with olive oil - in foil boats - the carcass or fillet of this fish will feel just amazing! From such a meal guests simply cannot be pulled by the ears. And it is prepared extremely simply and for a short time (usually 15-20 minutes depending on the temperature and preparation of the main component). The recipe for a hake baked in the oven contains only 3 ingredients in the product list (not counting the fish itself). A delicious caramelized sauce as a result gives a brownish, crispy and fragrant crust.
Ingredients for the dish
We need: a kilogram of hake, sliced in portions (carcass or fillet), 2 good spoons of natural honey, a couple of garlic teeth, olive oil. We take salt spices optionally, according to personal tastes and preferences. The basic rule here is not to overdo it. Well, and, of course, we need food foil - where without it.
How to cook
- This recipe for an oven-baked hake will not be characterized by increased complexity. First make the sauce. For it we clean and crush garlic, put it in a deep container and add olive oil and honey. We mix everything thoroughly (you can use a hand blender, you can manually - using a fork or whisk), bringing the mixture to maximum uniformity. You can add a little seasoning, but only so that the main taste of the fish is not hammered.
- Dip each of the hake pieces (carcass or fillet) into the mixture and place on a 2-fold folded sheet. If you bought a filet with skin, then you need to turn it down. We turn the foil around the fish in the form of "boats". We leave the top of the structures a little open: so that the steam comes out freely and a golden crust can form.
- We put on a baking sheet and place it in the oven, which must first be heated to 180 degrees Celsius. We bake at the indicated temperature for about 20 minutes. This is enough for the crust to form and the fish to be perfectly baked.
- Baked hake ready to eat. We take out the “boats” from the stove, put on plates and unfold a little more. And you can serve the dish by pulling pieces of foil and placing them in separate containers - to whom it is more convenient.
- Decorate the food you need chopped herbs. A side dish serve rice, potatoes or stewed vegetables. Enjoy your meal!
How to bake hake in the oven without foil
But what if there is no foil in the kitchen? Or does one of the home cooks treat her “suspiciously”? Then the recipe is simple: bake in the form without the participation of edible aluminum. Moreover, all this will be easy to implement. An oven and a baking dish seem to be at hand of all the housewives! So, we need: hake fillet in the amount of one kilo, 2-3 potatoes, 2 onions, 2 carrots. You can enter into the composition of the vegetable mix and broccoli, but then boil the cabbage until half-ready (10 minutes). And also we need fresh lemon, cut into slices, and hard cheese in the amount of 150-200 grams. We add salt and seasonings optionally, according to your personal preferences.
Tasty and easy!
- Wash and peel vegetables. Cut carrots with potatoes into thin rings or bars. We cut the onions in a half ring.
- Next, use a baking tin (silicone or refractory). We process it from the inside with olive oil (you can dip the brush, or you can use the now fashionable economical spray can). At the bottom of the form we put chopped vegetables - either mixed or in layers, as you wish. The main thing is that they are distributed on the surface in a uniform layer.
- On this blanket we lay fillet pieces. We also try to distribute the fish evenly so that there are no "holes". By the way, hake can be slightly marinated in advance. Then it will be more tender and tastier. To do this, use any sour marinade or just a mineral water with spices.
- On top of the fish we put thinly sliced lemon slices.
- Grate the cheese coarsely and distribute with a final layer evenly over the entire area of the mold.
- Preheat the oven to 180-200 degrees Celsius. We put the form with the future dish in the oven. Set the timer for 15 minutes.
- Bake at the indicated temperature. We check readiness. Further, if there is such a function in your oven, you can try the “grill” for several minutes - this contributes to the formation of a golden upper crust.
- Hake baked in the oven with vegetables, ready. We take out the form and serve to the table, laying out on plates. You can use boiled rice as a side dish. But you can also do without it, because this version of the hake fillet, baked in the oven, already includes a vegetable mix.
With cheese
Another option for a simple and tasty dish with this fish is a hake in a foil with cheese. The recipe is simple to impossible. But such a dish will look great (and be used, of course) on a picnic in natural conditions: it can be baked on the charcoal grill, and on the grill - stationary or portable. It will take hake fillet, sliced in portions. It can be pre-marinated a little, especially if you are going to cook, so to speak, in “camping conditions”. We make a mixture of lemon juice, spices, salt, olive oil. And thoroughly soak the pieces with it. And we also need a large piece of hard cheese (it’s not necessary to choose the most expensive one, you can do either simple Russian or Dutch - the main thing is that it is natural, without vegetable additives). Well, another roll of food foil for wrapping the product.
Then we proceed as follows. We cut the foil according to the size of the pieces of fillet - with a margin. We take immediately two sheets folded together so that the juice does not leak. We put fish in the center of each and sprinkle with grated cheese - quite generously. We form boats with foil with a slightly open top so that the steam can freely exit. We place these structures on the coals or on the grill grate (make sure that the fire does not burn, and only the coals give heat). Preparing quickly: literally 10-15 minutes. After all, our fish is pre-soaked. Readiness is determined by the state of the cheese above: should melt and brown. And then you can serve on an impromptu table - right in the “boats” made of foil, deploying them a little to each of the participants in the picnic. It is also good to accompany fresh herbs and vegetables. Bon appetit to everyone!