While the recipe may seem daunting, with the right ingredients and techniques, you can create a restaurant-quality meal in your own kitchen. Impress your dinner guests with this show-stopping dish that is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Hake Wrapped in Serrano Ham
15 March 2017
Looking for a truly unique and impressive meal? Try this delicious recipe for hake wrapped in serrano ham served with chorizo risotto and tempura prawns. The combination of savory serrano ham and tender hake is perfectly complemented by the rich and flavorful chorizo risotto. The dish is then elevated even further with the addition of crispy tempura prawns.
Category
Starter
Serves
4
Ingredients
4 slices serrano ham
4x 180g fillets hake - skin on
Olive oil
Salt
1 onion - finely chopped
2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
1 level tsp smoked paprika
2 cooking chorizo sausages (approx 140g)
400g Carnaroli risotto rice
1.1 litres chicken stock
Backbone of 1 hake
Heads & shells of raw king prawns (approx 30)
1 bulb fennel - roughly chopped
2 shallots - chopped
2 cloves garlic - chopped
3 plum tomatoes - chopped
2 star anise
Gernerous pinch saffron
1 tsp coriander seeds
Generous splash of Pernod
175ml white wine
1.1 litres fish stock
16 stems white sprouting broccoli (or tenderstem if not available)
1 red chilli - deseeded and finely diced
Zest 1 lemon
Tempura flour
Ginger beer - cold
4 raw king prawns - peeled & deveined
Vegetable oil
Instructions
1For the Fish: Pre-heat the oven to 150C. Trim the fish to size and square off the serrano ham slies
2 Place 1 slice of serrano ham onto a board. Lay one of the hake fillets skin-side down and wrap the ham around to seal on top (it won't be encased but rather wrapped around the middle section of the fillet). Repeat for the remaining ham and fish. Leave in the fridge until ready to cook
3 Heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan. Once the pan is hot place the fish in skin side down first and then colour nicely all over
4 Transfer to the oven to finish for approximately 8-9 minutes or until cooked through
5 For the Risotto: In a pan heat the chicken stock so that it is hot and keep warm
6 Add the raw cooking chorizo to a food processor and pulse so that it breaks down into a crumbly mix
7 Add a good glug of olive oil in a pan. Once hot, add the onions and garlic and sweat down until softened without any colour
8 Add the crumbled chorizo and continue to cook to render out the fat
9 Add the smoked paprika and saffron and cook for a couple of minutes or until fragrant
10 Add the risotto rice and stir well to coat well in the fat, cook for a further two minutes
11 Using a ladle gradually add the stock, stirring continuously over a high heat so that the rice cooks evenly. Taste to check and remove from the heat once¾ cooked (the rice still wants to have bite/ be slightly raw)
12 Spread onto a tray and leave to cool ready to heat later
13 To finish, reheat the risotto with a little more stock. Season to taste and finish with a little freshly grated parmesan
14 For the Sauce Americaine: Fry the prawn shells and hake bone in a little oil until golden
15 Add the chopped fennel, garlic and shallots and continue to cook until softened and lightly coloured
16 Add the chopped tomatoes and cook out for a few minutes
17 Add in the star anise, coriander seeds and saffron
18 Deglaze the pan with a generous glug of Pernod. Then, add the glass of white wine and reduce by a third
19 Add the fish stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and leave it to bubble on a gentle simmer for 1 hour
20 Once cooked transfer to a blender and blitz to get the mixture as smooth as possible
21 Pass through a chinois (fine mesh sieve) using the back of a ladle to help push through all the flavour
22 Season to taste and set aside
23 For the white sprouting Broccoli: Toss the broccoli in olive oil until they are well coated. Prep the dressing by mixing the finely diced chilli with lemon zest and olive oil
24 Heat a griddle pan over a high flame until very hot
25 Once hot add the broccoli to char well - you can use the back of a fish slice or a plate to help press down on top of the broccoli so that it has good contact with the griddle pan). Turn after a couple of minutes and do the same for the other side. (You can do these up before service and only par-cook, finishing them to order)
26 Toss the chargrilled broccoli in the dressing serve 4 on top of your fish fillet
27 For the Tempura Prawn: Add tempura flour to a large mixing bowl. Gradually add the ginger beer whisking until you have a good batter consistency
28 Dip the prawns into the batter and then quickly drop into a deep fat fryer (or a pan of hot oil) at 180C
29 Fry until golden, drain on kitchen paper and season with salt. Serve on top of you chargrilled broccoli
30 To serve: Reheat portions as necessary
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