Galician Hake

Without a doubt, Galician cuisine is a delight. Full of seafood stews and fresh fish, this gastronomy is worthy of a true feast of the gods. For this reason, you cannot miss a classic: hake a la gallega.

In addition, this preparation stands out for its simplicity when making it and the use of few ingredients, with an exquisite result … Take note.

We could say that Galician gastronomy stands out for being generous and full of hospitality. Indeed, they are dishes, in general,  based on seafood and fish, loaded with flavor despite the humility of their proposal.

Among them, the Galician hake is a recipe in which the flavor of the fish stands out over the rest of the ingredients. You can also substitute hake for any other type of white fish. The important thing is the freshness of the protein.

Ingredients:

• Five medium potatoes
• Eight wheels of hake or four fillets of hake
• A large onion
• A garlic porridge or leek
• Three bay leaves

• 1 liter and ½ of water
• ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• Three cloves of garlic cut into sheets
• Coarse sea salt
• Two tablespoons of sweet paprika (powder or liquid)

Utensils:

• A deep pot
• A saucepan or frying pan
• Wooden spoon
• Sharp knife

preparation:

• First, wash the potatoes very well, cut them into slices or into four parts.
• Next, clean the fish very well, cut it into wheels or if you bought fillets, clean and divide in two.
• Then season the fish for a couple of hours before cooking with coarse sea salt.
• Then, place the liter and a half of water in the pot, along with the onion cut in four, the leek, a handful of sea salt and a splash of olive oil . Put over high heat until it comes to a boil.

• Later, add the potato slices and cook over moderate heat  for eight minutes, or until they are soft, but still hold their shape and firmness.
• Now, add the bay leaves to the water.
• Then take the fish, wash it, remove the salt and place in the hot water for 12 minutes or until tender.
• Then remove from the heat, drain and let it rest. If you prepared the hake in fillet, mash with the help of a fork into medium pieces.
• Later, in a frying pan, place the olive oil, fry the garlic slices, add the sweet paprika, stir with a wooden spoon until a fairly oily paste forms.
• Finally, serve the Galician hake over the potatoes and top with the sweet pepper sauce.

Additional tips:

• This is a recipe for four people, it serves two wheels of hake per plate.
• If you want the Galician hake to have a spicy touch, add a dehydrated chili to the water when it comes to a boil.
• In addition, you could add to the aged bell pepper in julienne, to give a touch of color to the dish.
• If you do not have hake, you can use any type of white fish with little bone, the important thing is that it is fresh.
• On the other hand, you could make a Galician mix with hake, octopus and prawns.
• This dish is delicious to eat together with a good glass of wine or a beer.
• Accompany with a fresh lettuce and bread salad. It also goes well with white rice.
• Be careful with the cooking times, the quality of this dish is directly related to the firmness of the potatoes and fish.
• Also, you could add a little fish broth to the garlic for added liquidity and flavor.
• If you are one of the people who saves funds and broths for later preparations, use the fish to poach the potatoes and hake.

• Serve with lemon wedges, so diners can add to taste.