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Merluza a la Gallega
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Merluza a la Gallega belongs to Galicia: thick hake steaks, potatoes and onion cooked gently, then flooded with warm ajada whose garlic and sweet pimentón stain the plate red-gold.
Main Dishes
Spanish
Weeknight
Comfort Food
Special Occasion
20 min
Prep Time
35 min cook•55 min total
Yield4 servings
Merluza a la Gallega belongs to Galicia: thick hake steaks laid over cachelos, potatoes boiled in broad pieces, with onion and bay, then covered in red-gold ajada of olive oil, garlic, and sweet pimentón. Unlike Basque merluza en salsa verde, there is no flour-thickened parsley sauce here. Galicia names this one with the potatoes beneath and the garlic oil poured over at the end.
It is the sort of coastal main dish that earns its place at both a weekday table and a family gathering. The hake stays clean and delicate, the potatoes catch every drop of seasoned oil, and nothing hides the quality of the fish. Keep the cooking liquid at a bare tremble. A hard boil knocks the hake apart before its centre is ready.
The moment that decides the dish comes after the fish is cooked. Let the garlic turn pale gold, take the pan off the heat, wait a few seconds, and only then add the pimentón. It blooms in the hot oil without burning. Rush that one movement and sweetness becomes bitterness, which is a poor reward for such good hake.
No hace falta haber pisado España. Good frozen hake, thawed slowly, will make the dish properly wherever you are. If hake cannot be found, use thick cod loin of the same weight; it will be firmer, saltier, and larger-flaked, so taste the cooking liquor before adding all the salt. My Margin beside this recipe says only, "pimentón fuera del fuego," pimentón off the heat. Follow that and the rest is plain cooking.
Merluza a la Gallega belongs to Galicia's coastal caldeirada tradition, in which fish was cooked plainly with potatoes and dressed after cooking rather than hidden beneath a heavy sauce. Its ajada, also called allada, is the region's hot dressing of olive oil, garlic, and pimentón, used on ray, octopus, vegetables, and hake. The day's fish could change with the landing, but cachelos and the red-gold garlic oil kept the dish recognizably Galician.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
hake
Quantity
800g
cut into 4 bone-in centre steaks about 3cm thick
waxy potatoes
Quantity
800g
peeled and cut into 2cm rounds
onion
Quantity
1 medium (about 180g)
thinly sliced
bay leaf
Quantity
1
cold water
Quantity
1.2 litres
fine sea salt
Quantity
12g
divided
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
120ml
garlic
Quantity
5 cloves (about 25g)
thinly sliced
sweet Spanish pimentón
Quantity
5g
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| hakecut into 4 bone-in centre steaks about 3cm thick | 800g |
| waxy potatoespeeled and cut into 2cm rounds | 800g |
| onionthinly sliced | 1 medium (about 180g) |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| cold water | 1.2 litres |
| fine sea saltdivided | 12g |
| extra virgin olive oil | 120ml |
| garlicthinly sliced | 5 cloves (about 25g) |
| sweet Spanish pimentón | 5g |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide shallow casserole with lid (28 to 30cm)
- •Small frying pan or saucepan (16 to 18cm)
- •Flexible slotted fish turner
- •Instant-read thermometer, optional
Instructions
- 1
Season the hake
Check the hake for stray scales and bones, then pat it dry. Season both sides with 2g of the salt and keep it chilled while the potatoes begin cooking. Bone-in steaks hold together better than fillets and give the cooking liquor a little body.
Good frozen hake, thawed slowly in the refrigerator and dried well, is a sound choice. It is better here than fresh fish that has spent too long on a counter. - 2
Cook the cachelos
Arrange the potato rounds in a wide casserole, overlapping them only slightly. Scatter over the onion, tuck in the bay leaf, and add the water and remaining 10g salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes. The tip of a knife should enter the outside of a potato easily while meeting a little resistance at the centre.
- 3
Poach the hake
Set the hake steaks over the potatoes in one layer. Cover the casserole and keep the liquid at the gentlest tremble for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on thickness. Do not let it boil hard. The fish is ready when it reaches 63°C at the thickest point and separates into broad, moist flakes beside the bone. Take the casserole off the heat and leave it covered for 2 minutes.
- 4
Make the ajada
While the hake cooks, put the olive oil and sliced garlic in a small frying pan over medium-low heat. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, moving the slices now and then, until the garlic is evenly pale gold. Take the pan completely off the heat and wait 30 seconds. Add the sweet pimentón and swirl for 10 seconds, just until the oil turns red-gold and smells warm and sweet. The residual heat is enough. Scorch the pimentón and the whole plate tastes bitter.
Have the measured pimentón beside the stove before you begin. Once the garlic is ready, there is no time to rummage through a cupboard. - 5
Plate and dress
Remove the bay leaf. Lift the hake carefully onto warm plates, then divide the cachelos and soft onion beneath and around it. Spoon over the ajada at once, including the golden garlic slices, letting the red-gold oil run into the potatoes. Serve immediately while the hake is moist and the oil still carries the scent of garlic and pimentón. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Chef Tips
- •Buy centre-cut hake steaks with the bone still in, each about 3cm thick. The bone helps the fish hold together and gives you broad, moist flakes rather than small dry pieces.
- •Frozen hake is often the sensible purchase far from the Galician coast. Thaw it for 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator, set over a plate to catch the liquid, then dry it thoroughly before salting.
- •If hake is unavailable, use 800g of thick cod loin. Cod is firmer and naturally saltier, so reduce the salt in the cooking water to 7g and expect larger, denser flakes. Haddock works at a pinch, but its stronger flavor makes the ajada less delicate.
- •Use sweet Spanish pimentón. A mild pimentón de la Vera works, but avoid a fiercely smoked or hot paprika, which bullies the hake instead of seasoning it.
- •Serve this with a dry Ribeiro blanco or Albariño. You want freshness beside the garlic oil, not an oaky wine competing with it.
- •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat them within 1 day. Reheat very gently with a spoonful of water, covered, or the hake will dry before the potatoes warm through.
Advance Preparation
- •Thaw frozen hake in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. Keep it covered and set over a plate or shallow rack, then dry it well before cooking.
- •The potatoes may be peeled and cut up to 2 hours ahead. Keep them submerged in cold water, then drain before adding the measured cooking water.
- •The ajada can be made up to 30 minutes ahead and kept barely warm. Do not fry it a second time; harsh heat burns the pimentón and darkens the garlic.
- •Cook the hake only when the table is ready. It loses its moist, broad flakes if held or repeatedly reheated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 430g)
Calories
560 calories
Total Fat
30 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
24 g
Cholesterol
100 mg
Sodium
700 mg
Total Carbohydrates
42 g
Dietary Fiber
6 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
33 g
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