The sun is shining!
A bright and breezy fish-dish with pea and mint puree, topped with delicate oven baked cod that flakes under your fork, drizzled with lemon sunshine and packed with positive vibes.
After a few months of soul-searching, I finally took the plunge and walked away from a turbulent organisation I’d been working for. It sounds Cliché, but the sun began to shine, the clouds parted and for the first time in a long time the weight lifted and floated away with the Rye coastal winds. I knew I’d made the right decision. What better way to celebrate my new found freedom (other than catching up on my long lost blog) than to make this bright and breezy lemon baked hake.
Whilst I may be feeling delicate, disappointed in people and unsure of what the future holds, I’m confident in my own abilities and I’m glad to have walked away with my professional integrity intact. Sometimes we are faced with tough life choices but better to have failed trying than die doing nothing with life…as my late & very wise Grandad once said. I opted for my own preservation and sustainable lifestyle!
Sustainability
Hake are deep-sea members of the Cod family, found on the continental shelf and slope to depths over 1,000 metres. They are a mild fish, having a more subtle flavour than cod. Hake is considered one of the best fish in the whiting family because of its firm, sweet, white meat and medium flake. It is definitely a more sustainable choice than it’s over friend cod.
If you are fortunate enough to live by the sea, get down to your local fishmongers and buy something freshly caught there, if he hasn’t got hake – swap it out for something else, after all, what fish doesn’t bake well in a little parcel of love and lemon in the oven?
Alternatively, check out the Marine Stewardship Council on where to buy. A great resource for helping make choices on certified sustainable seafood.
- 400g Hake or other recommended white fish
- 200g frozen peas
- 100g creme fraiche
- 1 courgette
- 2 white skinned potatoes
- 3 sprigs of mint
- Olive oil
- 1 lemon
- Preheat the oven to 200oc
- Using baking paper, make two parcels each with a piece of fish, a slice of lemon and a slug of oil.
- Season, close the bags up and place on a tray in the oven (second shelf)
- Using a mandolin, thinly slice the potatoes and courgette and layer on an oven tray
- Brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, place in the oven (top shelf)
- Boil water and cook the frozen peas. Drain
- Chop the mint and add to the frozen peas along with the creme fraiche.
- Blitz with a hand-held blender and season to taste.
- Place the minted pea puree on pre-warmed plates.
- Remove the fish from the oven and plate up.
- Check the potatoes and courgettes are slightly crisp and golden and add to the plate
- Season and serve!
