Cornish hake, brandade, aioli and peppers Ingredients
‘Cornish hake is an absolute pleasure to both cook and eat,’ says Bruce Rennie, head chef and owner of The Shore restaurant in Penzance (01736 362444; http:// theshorerestaurant.uk). ‘As well as being very tasty and well textured, what makes it stand out is the way the fishermen treat it—when it gets to the market floor, it really is among the best quality you’ll see.’ 2 large fillets of Cornish MSC hake (cut 6 portions from the thick end of the fillets and set aside)
For the brandade
500g hake from the thin end of the fillets 60g coarse sea salt 20g caster sugar Small pinch saffron thread (optional) 3g dried fennel seeds 2g crushed white peppercorns Milk (to cook the fish) 250g floury potatoes 100ml extra-virgin olive oil
For the peppers
2 firm red peppers 2 firm yellow peppers 1 clove garlic 2 sprigs fresh thyme Sea salt 6tbspn olive oil Small pinch smoked sweet paprika Dash of Tabasco
For the aioli
1tbspn white-wine vinegar Small pinch saffron strands (optional) 2 egg yolks 1tbspn Dijon mustard 3 peeled and crushed cloves garlic 300ml olive oil
Method
To make the brandade, cover the 500g of hake evenly with the salt, sugar, saffron, fennel seeds and peppercorns, then leave in the fridge for 24 hours. Rinse the fish in cold water and dry with a kitchen towel. In a pan, cover the hake with milk and cook on a medium heat until it flakes apart, then drain.
Boil the potatoes in unsalted water until tender, then combine with the hake in a food processor, drizzling in the olive oil as you blend.
Next, cut the peppers in half lengthways, removing the stalk and seeds. Slice the garlic into five pieces and combine in a bowl with the peppers, thyme, a little sea salt and the olive oil. Cover with foil and bake at 180˚C/350˚f/gas mark 4 for 15 minutes or until the peppers are soft.
When the peppers have cooled, discard the thyme, but keep the juices. Peel the skin from the peppers and roughly chop them up, then cook in a pan with the juices, paprika and Tabasco until the juices thicken. Taste for seasoning.
To make the aioli, heat the vinegar gently with the saffron, then allow to cool. Whisk the yolks, mustard, vinegar and garlic together and gradually drizzle in the olive oil until it emulsifies like mayonnaise. Add salt to taste.
Season the hake fillets with salt and dust the skin side lightly with flour, patting to remove the excess. Heat some oil in a pan on a medium heat and add the fillets, skinside down. Cook until golden brown, then turn them over.
Transfer the fish to a non-stick tray, then finish in the oven for 3–6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Meanwhile, gently warm the brandade and spoon a little onto each plate, top with the hake and serve with the peppers and aioli. curtains in the tide and selectively ensnaring quarry—immature fish and smaller non-target species are able to swim through. Ultrasonic dolphin ‘pingers’ deter cetaceans from becoming entangled.
In 2015, after a five-year effort to demonstrate responsible fishing, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) rewarded the netters of Newlyn by certifying their hake fishery as sustainable. ‘The fishermen had shown that they could manage it responsibly, taking a host of environmental factors into account,’ explains Paul Trebilcock, chief executive of the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation. ‘It’s paid off and now we see far better prices at auction for what is, unquestionably, a premium product.’
Camberley fishmonger Sue Lucas, hake champion and long-time advocate of net-toplate traceability, knows that this fish is assured a sustainable future on her slab. ‘Weight for weight, we now sell more hake than cod,’ she enthuses. ‘Its appeal has just grown and grown.’
With a hake quota of 12 tonnes per vessel per month, boats land at Newlyn plus Brixham and Plymouth in Devon. Being able to land several vessels together ensures that fishermen get prices that match or exceed expectations.
Today, I’m going out with Alan Dwan, the ebullient Irish skipper who’s a key player in the promotion of Cornish MSC hake to UK consumers, to his 2km (1.2-mile) tiers of nets off the Scillies. This character from Co Waterford cut his teeth netting salmon and is dedicated to his task.
His crew is made up of engaging twentysomethings, whose love of the job and its hostile environment is tangible. Working hours are protracted and arduous, with long shifts punctuated only by swiftly taken meals and a few hours in the bunk.
Their humour and energy belies their knowledge and experience—they’ve undergone the sea training required of all fishermen and acquired the on-board skills of a hake netter, which dictate that quality and care of the catch are paramount from the moment the fish hits the deck.
Our first haul is a revelation. The skipper views the operation from the wheelhouse, through CCTV cameras, barking both instructions and profanities through an intercom. The vessel is guided skilfully alongside the buoys or ‘dahns’, which mark the ends of the tier, and, once the securing anchor is stowed aboard, a hydraulic hauling system pulls and feeds the net and its catch into the hands of the crew.
‘The guys know exactly what’s expected of them,’ explains Mr Dwan. Each fish is registered with the cry of ‘hake on’, whereupon it’s taken from the nylon to the gutting table, where First Mate Matt Price eviscerates each specimen in a single practised action, sending each still-twitching silver bar into the washer and thence to be packed and iced.
As soon as the haul is finished, the team prepares to ‘shoot away’ the gear again, but if the hunting ground hasn’t met expectations, the skipper might decide to steam to a new location. The cycle repeats, dusk descends and the halogen work lamps pierce the blue-black cloak of night as the crew fishes on for four days.
As limbs tire and backs stiffen, the skipper slides a CD into the player to lift the mood. The thumping tones of Oasis’s Roll With It hit the mark and, as a rediscovered urgency kicks in, we haul on into the Atlantic night before heading for port under the pink hue of a new dawn.
Our catch is destined for the market the following day. The boat will refuel, fresh provisions will be slung aboard, a few rushed goodbyes uttered and she’ll be gone again— all within a couple of hours.
Hake is now enjoying a starring role on menus and its popularity is surging among UK seafood lovers. Many fish-and-chip shops have it in their sights and, with the MSC certification encouraging supermarkets to stock it, all that’s needed is the education and promotion to tempt palates further.
‘All hail the hake’, as they say down in Newlyn. It might just be the fish of the future.