Our menu boasts a vast choice of seasonal, local produce as well as gluten free and vegetarian options. This crispy hake recipe is part of our new Express Menu based on the most popular dishes from our restaurants.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
– 1kg firm-fleshed hake
– 1tbsp cream or crème Fraìche (optional)
– 1 lemon
– 10 large Rooster potatoes
– 2 litres sunflower oil for frying
– 1 litre duck fat for frying (optional)
For the petit pois
– 500g frozen petits pois
– 30g mint
– 25g butter
– 60ml cream (optional)
Batter 1
– 110g self-raising flour
– ½ tsp salt
– 150ml water
Batter 2
– 135g plain flour
– 250ml chilled beer
– ½ tsp salt
Method:
1. Divide the fish into 4 equal portions and pat dry with a little kitchen paper. Choose one of the two batters below (one with beer, one without). Make the batter of your choice by sieving flour and salt together and then whisking in the liquid until you have a smooth batter.
2. Heat the oil in the deep-fat fryer, or a deep saucepan, until it reaches a temperature of 180°C, or until a small piece of bread browns in 30 seconds when added to the oil.
To double fry the chips
There are many reasons given for double frying your chips, some say it releases the starch in the spuds, others claim it enhances the flavour. However, most chefs admit it is the only way to serve crispy chips to large groups of people at the same time. At home where you have a domestic fryer, it ensures everyone can be fed together.
1. Peel the potatoes and cut into chunky chips, place in a clean dry tea towel and pat dry.
2. Fry the chips in batches at 160°c for 10 minutes until lightly golden. Drain on kitchen paper. These are now only semi-cooked, ready to be re-fried later when you need them.
3. They will keep like this for a couple of hours. Simply re-fry at 180°C for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through.
To cook the fish
1. Coat the dry fish in the batter and then cook in very hot oil for 4-6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.
2. Drain on kitchen paper.
To make the minted petits pois crush
1. Bring a saucepan of water with a pinch of salt to a rolling boil, drop in the peas and bring back to the boil, then drain immediately, add the fresh mint, butter and cream if using, season with salt and pepper and blitz in a food processor on the pulse setting.
Avoca is an Irish family-run business that spans one of the world’s oldest surviving manufacturing companies and Ireland’s most exciting stores. We’ve some of the country’s best loved and most garlanded Cafés.
From a small tea and coffee station selling home baking in the corner of one of the shops, the Avoca food experience has taken on a life of its own. It’s what many of our customers think of first with Avoca.
Avoca Cafés have been a fixture in the Bridgestone 100 Best Restaurants each year since 1997 and they feature in good eating guides everywhere. Many dishes have earned important awards such as Great Taste stars over the years.
We’ve over 700 great people at 11 locations across Ireland and wholesale to dozens of countries worldwide. All from a modest handweaving mill that was established in a rural Irish village in 1723. And never, ever boring we hope.
