Fritz Brand
Sustainable fishing may sound like just another in a long line of buzzwords regarding food these days, but I believe it to be one of the more important ones. Some traditional fishing practices are wasteful and dangerous to fish stocks, yet have been going on for decades. We need to put a stop to this before it is too late.
Luckily people have started asking the right kind of questions regarding their food, which in turn will force suppliers and retailers to buy seafood from ethical and sustainable sources. We all need to do our bit to save the environment, so start shopping responsibly today.
I have fond memories of fishing trips, as a kid during December holidays in Stilbaai. Spending the evening on a fishing boat at sea then heading home at sunrise with our bounty of fresh hake. A few hours later after a wee nap we’d be stuffing our faces with the most delicious fried hake you’ve ever tasted.
To learn more about sustainability, go to www.wwfsassi.co.za
Recipe by:
Fritz Brand
Serves:
2
cooking time
3 hours 30 minutes (3-4 hours cooling time)
INGREDIENTS:
For the kidney bean puree:
500 g dried kidney beans
80 g butter
100 ml milk
Pinch of nutmeg
2 T sweet chilli sauce
Salt and white pepper to taste
For the fish:
2 x 200g fillets of hake
(skin on
2 t garlic flakes
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1 t paprika
Seasalt and black pepper to taste
Olive oil
For the greens:
1 t seasalt
t olive oil
2 t garlic flakes
250 g tenderstem broccoli
Half a lemon, juiced
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
For the puree:
Soak and cook the kidney beans as per the instructions on the packet. Drain in a colander for a few minutes. Add the beans, butter and a dash of milk to a blender and blend until smooth.
Season the puree with salt, white pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Allow to cool to room temperature, transfer to a piping bag or other container and then refrigerate for 3-4 hours. We won’t be using all of the puree for this recipe, so keep the rest in the fridge and try it out with other dishes.
For the hake:
Season the fillets on both sides with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic and parsley then brush with a little olive oil.
Add a little butter and cooking oil to a non stick pan on medium high heat and add the fillets, skin side down. Fry for 4-5 minutes a side then transfer to a few sheets of kitchen towel to drain the oil.
For the greens:
Sautee the broccoli with the olive oil, salt and garlic for about 4 minutes until warmed through. No need to overcook these babies, they are nice and tender as is.
To serve:
I like to create a little spiral “nest” with the puree using a piping bag, then filling the center with some sweet chilli sauce. Next to it I put two pieces of Bruschetta for some crunch. Squeeze some lemon juice over the broccoli and fish and garnish with some fresh parsley.
