Merluza en Salsa Verde con Almejas

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 28 to 30cm cazuela or heavy sauté pan with lid
• •Wide fish spatula
• •Large bowl for purging clams
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Purge the clams

   Submerge the clams in the litre of cold water mixed with 30g salt and leave them in a cool place for 30 minutes. Lift them out rather than pouring away the water, so the expelled grit stays at the bottom, then rinse under cold running water. Discard cracked clams and any open one that does not close when tapped firmly.

   Do not leave clams soaking for hours. Thirty minutes is enough for small clams, and prolonged soaking weakens them.
2. 2

   Prepare the hake

   Pat the hake thoroughly dry and season both sides evenly with the 4g salt. Leave it for 10 minutes while you slice the garlic and chop the parsley. Pésalo, no lo adivines. The clams bring their own salt, so seasoning the fish precisely now prevents an over-salted sauce later.

   Bone-in center-cut steaks stay moister and release more gelatin than thin fillets. If using skin-on cod loin, cut four pieces of equal thickness and begin checking them after six minutes.
3. 3

   Soften the garlic

   Set a wide 28 to 30cm cazuela or heavy sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil and sliced garlic. Cook for 60 to 90 seconds, moving the garlic gently, until it is soft and barely pale gold. Do not brown it, or the clean sauce will taste bitter. Add the flour and stir for one minute so it loses its raw taste without taking colour.

4. 4

   Build the green sauce

   Pour in the wine and stir while it bubbles, scraping up the flour from the base. Simmer for two minutes, until the sharp smell of alcohol has gone and the wine has reduced by about half. Gradually add 250ml of the hot fish stock, stirring until smooth. Add 20g of the chopped parsley and hold the sauce at a bare simmer for two minutes. It should be loose enough to flow when the pan moves, not thick like gravy.

   Use a light stock made from hake or other white-fish bones. A dark or heavily reduced stock buries the parsley and turns the sauce brown.
5. 5

   Cook without stirring

   Lay the hake steaks in one layer in the sauce and cook uncovered for three minutes at the gentlest simmer. Turn each piece once with a wide spatula, then arrange the clams around the fish and cover the pan. Cook for four to six minutes more. Every minute, grip the handles with dry cloths and move the whole pan in small, steady circles. Once the fish is in, use no spoon. The hake is ready when it separates into moist flakes and reaches 63°C at its thickest point; the clams must be open.

   Discard any clam that remains closed after cooking. Do not force it open.
6. 6

   Bind and finish

   Take the cazuela off the heat and discard any unopened clams. Scatter over the remaining 10g parsley, then circle the pan for another 20 to 30 seconds. The sauce should look glossy and coat the back of a spoon in a thin layer. If it is too thick, circle in the reserved hot stock 15ml at a time. Taste only now, because the clam liquor has seasoned it. Rest for two minutes and serve directly from the cazuela.

   If the sauce remains watery after the fish is cooked, move the hake and clams to a warm platter. Simmer the sauce alone for one minute while circling the pan, then return the fish and serve.

Chef Tips

• •Buy hake steaks of equal thickness, with bright skin and a clean sea smell. Frozen-at-sea European hake is a sound choice when local fresh hake looks tired. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator on a rack, then dry it very well.
• •Small clams are better here than large ones because they open quickly, release just enough liquor, and do not bully the hake. If good clams are unavailable, leave them out and add 50ml more fish stock. The result is simpler, but still recognizably Basque hake in green sauce.
• •The parsley must taste fresh. Chop it shortly before cooking with a sharp knife, and include the tender upper stems. A blender turns it into a wet paste and muddies both the flavour and colour.
• •Serve with plain crusty bread for the sauce and a cold, dry txakoli. An Albariño or another lean, unoaked white wine works when txakoli is difficult to find.
• •This dish is best eaten at once. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and eat them the next day, reheated very gently. The hake will firm and the sauce may separate a little, which is the honest price of keeping it.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the light fish stock up to two days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator, or freeze it for up to two months.
• •For a dinner party, prepare the garlic, flour, wine, and stock base up to four hours ahead, before adding the parsley. Cool it promptly, refrigerate, then return it to a bare simmer and continue with the fish.
• •Purge the clams up to four hours before cooking, drain them well, and refrigerate them in a bowl covered with a clean damp cloth. Do not store them submerged in fresh water.
• •Do not cook the hake ahead. Its fine flakes and the freshly bound sauce are the point of the dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 270g)