Recipe - Hake And Bake

1 Hake weighing around 1 kg;
cleaned, olive oil
Salt and pepper
6 Generous stems of lemon
balm; complete with
; plenty of leaves

FOR THE STUFFING
4 Shallots; chopped
1 tablespoon Olive oil
45 g Butter
150 g Shelled raw prawns; each one
cut into 2
; or 3 pieces, if
; large
A generous handful of lemon
balm leaves
Salt and pepper

FOR THE SAUCE
2 Shallots; finely chopped
4 tablespoon Olive oil
30 g Butter
A generous handful of lemon
balm leaves
3 Hard boiled egg yolks
3 tablespoon Chopped parsley
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Capers or caper berries;
rinsed and soaked
; if salted, chopped
1 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 220c/425f/Gas 7.

1 Rub a few spoonfuls of olive oil over the hake and season. Make a bed of
the lemon balm stems in a roasting tin or large ovenproof dish.

2 For the Stuffing: Saute the shallots in oil and butter until tender and
translucent. Add the prawns and saute for two minutes until barely cooked
through.

3 Stir in the whole lemon balm leaves, cook for a few seconds until wilted
and draw the pan off the heat. Fill the cavity of the fish with the prawns,
lemon balm and about half the shallots.

4 Carefully add the fish to the bed of stems, (seal the cavity with
cocktail sticks to stop the stuffing falling out). Spoon over the remaining
shallot and buttery sauce from the pan. Roast for 20 minutes until cooked
through.

5 For the Sauce: Fry the shallots in 1 tbsp olive oil and all the butter
until tender and translucent. Stir in the lemon balm until just wilted.
Draw off the heat and tip into a bowl.

6 Pound the yolks and parsley with a pestle and mortar (or in a sturdy bowl
with a rolling pin) until well mixed. Add to the shallots and lemon balm.

7 Stir in the mustard, capers, vinegar and remaining oil for a creamy
sauce. Season, adjust the balance of the flavourings, adding vinegar if
needed and serve with the hake. For a smooth sauce, don't pound. Process
the lemon balm, shallots and other ingredients.

Converted by MC_Buster.

Recipe by: Sophie Grigson's Herbs

Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.