Galician Hake Stew with Mussels and Chorizo

Serves 4

Preparation  –  30 minutes
Cooking  –  30 minutes
Total Time – 1 hour

We absolutely adore hearty fish dishes and this soupy stew is an all-time favourite.  White fish, mussels and chorizo is a combination made in heaven.
Leave out the mussels, you have an easy midweek meal, add the mussels and you turn it into a weekend treat.

 

Don’t forget to ask your fishmonger to prepare your fish and remove any bones

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INGREDIENTS

750 g Hake fillet (or Cod)
1 kg mussels
200 g cooking chorizo
1 red pepper
1 yellow or orange pepper
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tin of tomatoes
200 ml white wine (Galician preferably)
Pinch of saffron
2 tsp smoked paprika
4 bay leaves
1 Tbsp chopped rosemary
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
25 ml of sherry vinegar
Fresh chopped flat leaf parsley (garnish – optional)
Sea salt and black pepper

Allergens: For those of you with allergies please remove or substitute accordingly.

 

• Season and portion the Hake, set aside.  I always like to season thick white fish fillets about 30 minutes before cooking as it firms up the flesh and allows the salt to penetrate the flesh.
• Thinly slice the onion and crush the garlic with some salt.  Slice the peppers into even sized batons and finely chop the rosemary and parsley. Set everything aside to use later.
• Take the skin off the chorizo and cut it into small pieces, about the size of a walnut.  Warm a frying pan and cook the chorizo for a couple of minutes and set aside.
• Cook the Mussels.
  Clean and debeard the mussels.  If any are open, tap them lightly on a hard surface and if they don’t close, discard them.
  Pour the wine into a saucepan, large enough for the mussels and bring to the boil.  Add the mussels and put the lid on the pan., give the pan a shake ocassionally and cook for 3-4 minutes.  The mussels are cooked when they have opened.
  Be sure to discard any that don’t open.
  Reserve the cooking juices, and save three mussels in their shells per portion for dishing up.  Pick the mussels from their shells and put aside.
• The Soupy Stew Part
  Over a medium heat in a large sauté pan (30cm), sweat the onion without colouring, for about 5 minutes.  Add the peppers, spices and herbs (not the parsley) and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  Next add the garlic, chorizo, tomatoes, mussels cooking liquor (or just the wine if your are not using mussels) and sherry vinegar.  Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer.
  Place the Hake or Cod portions on top of the stew and cover with a cartouche (lid) made with greaseproof paper or foil.  Steam the fish for 10 minutes.
  Remove the fish using a slotted spoon and add the mussels, cook for a further 2 minutes to warm through.

  To Serve.

  Ladle the stew into 4 bowls ensuring the chorizo and mussels are evenly distributed.
  Sit the Hake portions on top and place the three mussels in their shells around the dish.
  Sprinkle with the chopped flat leaf parsley.

Enjoy.

Freshly boiled new potatoes go well with this dish, as does a glass or two of Albarino wine or a lightly chilled Crianza Rioja (Red wine with hearty fish stews is fantastic)!

 

 

 

 

This recipe was created and cooked by Pete Thompson for Steve Hatt Fishmongers.