This is such a convenient way to cook fish; it’s as easy as roasting a chicken. Simply spread the lemon and capers over the fish, then bake. There’s no messing around with individual fillets or pan-frying one by one.
Just ask your fishmonger to gut and scale the fish, removing the head and tail. This leaves you with a nice-sized piece of fish that is perfect for roasting. The flavour is fantastic when cooked on the bone this way.
Hake is a really meaty fish. This whole fish cost about €7 at my local farmer’s market, which is fantastic value for money. The queue there for freshly caught fish is always long. By the time it’s my turn to be served I just take whatever is available, as fish that fresh will always taste amazing.
This is a great dish to prepare ahead of time. Spread the caper and lemon marinade over the fish and leave for a few hours or overnight, well-covered, in the fridge.
I have gone for a traditional lemon and caper dressing here, using a little garlic for punch. This time of year I’m using wild garlic everywhere I can. A little wild garlic pesto would be perfect here in place of the garlic. Just spread a layer of the pesto in the cavity of the fish so that the flavour permeates the entire dish.
It is cause for celebration when you see those broad, waxy leaves appearing. It’s one of the few seasonal treats that aren’t now available all year round. I always overdo it with the wild garlic, swirling it into soup, shredding it over pizzas, and this year I even layered it into a jar of experimental sauerkraut along with plenty of ginger, turmeric and daikon radish. I also threw in a few cloves and star anise. It has a Chinese Five Spice kick that can’t be beaten and a lovely, subtle warmth and spiciness from the ginger. I removed the wild garlic leaves after a week as they can be a bit dominant, and I would imagine that would be magnified even further when fermented.
So, as the season is coming to an end, make the most of it and find your nearest shady forested area: it is bound to be covered in the stuff.
You can serve this fish whole in the baking dish or remove the main bone – the spine – that runs down the centre. This will make it easier to portion out at the table and it is always a good idea if you are serving this to children. Use a spoon and fork. You should be able to feel where the bone is. Gently break the skin as you run the spoon down the spine. Then use the fork to gently remove large sections of the fish so you can pull the back bone out. Just follow the shape of the fish.
Don’t be daunted: it is less complicated than carving a chicken.
HAKE, LEMON AND CAPERS: SERVES 4
Ingredients
- 1 whole hake, scaled and gutted, with head and tail removed
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 3 lemons
- 2tbs capers
- Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 4tbs good-quality mayonnaise
- 20g fresh dill
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
To serve
- Crusty bread
- Green vegetables (salad, spinach, broccoli or Romanesco cauliflower)
Method
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Drizzle with olive oil in a large roasting tray. Roast for 35-40 minutes until crispy and golden.
Halve the lemon and thinly slice each half into thin slivers. Place in a small bowl. Add two tablespoons of olive oil, the capers and the crushed garlic clove. Mix well to combine.
Place the hake in an oven-proof dish, and season well with salt and pepper.
Lay a few sprigs of dill and lemon slices inside the fish and cover with the lemon and caper mixture. Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size. The fish should be just cooked and opaque with the skin coming away easily.
Meanwhile mix the mayonnaise. Finely chop the dill. Mix the dill, the juice of half a lemon and the mayonnaise in a small bowl. Taste for seasoning.
Serve the fish with the potatoes, mayonnaise and wedges of lemon.
