I have always considered myself a good cook, but there was always one dish that eluded me: Pan-Fried Hake with Shrimp in sauce. I don’t know why, but every time I tried to prepare it, the result never lived up to my expectations. But finally, after many attempts, I managed to find the perfect recipe.
The first thing to do is to get quality ingredients. Fresh hake is essential, as is shrimp. The fish sauce and saffron are the secret ingredients that will give that extra touch to the dish. Hake and shrimp in sauce are so tasty and delicate that you will not be able to resist trying them. The fish and saffron sauce gives the dish a unique and irresistible flavor.
Ingredients :
- 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs) hake or cod
- 8-10 prawns (shrimp)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 leeks, chopped, plus the whole green part
- 2 jugs (pitchers) of water, plus ½ cup (120 ml) and extra as needed
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 sachet (packet) of saffron
- ½ cup (120 ml) white wine
- Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Salt, to taste
How to make Pan-Fried Hake with Shrimp:
- First, shell the shrimp, clean them by removing the black filament of the intestines, lay them on a plate, cut off the tail of the hake, cut it on its back, pull out the back and belly bones, cut it into loins, remove the thorn and salt it on both sides. You can also already use the cleaned and filleted hake.
- Now pour a drizzle of olive oil into a saucepan insert the shrimp heads, brown them, add the loin bones and the green parts of the leeks, salt, add 2 jugs the water, let it cook for 20-30 minutes, turn it off and strain it through a strainer into a bowl.
- Now pour a drizzle of olive oil into a clean pan, integrate chopped leek, chopped garlic cloves and chopped onion, sauté for 8-10 minutes, integrate white wine, let it evaporate 2 minutes, pour in cornstarch dissolved in ½ cup water and stir until thickened.
- When this is done, incorporate 4-5 ladles of fish stock prepared earlier with the shrimp heads, stir, remove from the heat and beat with an immersion blender to obtain a sauce with a thick consistency.
- Let the saffron rest for 5 minutes in a little water, add it to the pot, stir appropriately and set aside for a moment.
- Finally brown the shrimp on both sides on high heat for 1 minute in a skillet, remove them, do the same with the hake, but for 2-3 minutes this time, then integrate the cream of leeks and saffron, the shrimp and let it cook the last 2-3 minutes, then turn off and bring everything to the table.
Bon Appetit!
