CookEat Recipe
Palermo-Style Baked Hake
A whole butterflied hake with anchovy oil and breadcrumbs, baked until lightly crisp and served with anchovy-butter crostini.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 1 whole hake weighing 500–600 g, professionally gutted and butterflied through the belly with backbone removed, head and tail retained; 6 tablespoons olive oil: 1 for the back, 2 for the dish, 2 for anchovies and 1 for basting; 3 large whole salted anchovies, yielding 6 fillets after cleaning; 50 g fine breadcrumbs; Salt and black pepper; Juice of a generous half lemon; 8 small slices plain bread for crostini; 30 g butter, softened; 2 additional desalted anchovy fillets for the crostini.
Step 2
Heat the oven to 190°C. Have the fishmonger remove the fins except the tail fin, retain the head and tail, and open the hake flat through the belly while removing the guts and backbone. Pat dry and season the inside lightly with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Turn skin-side up, brush the back with 1 tablespoon olive oil, season lightly and coat with some breadcrumbs. Put 2 tablespoons oil in a shallow baking dish and lay the fish belly-side upward.
Step 4
Clean and briefly rinse the 3 whole salted anchovies, removing scales and bones to obtain 6 fillets, then dry and finely chop. Warm them gently with 2 tablespoons oil until softened into the oil; do not let the oil boil. Spread over the exposed belly and cover with the remaining breadcrumbs.
Step 5
Bake for about 15–20 minutes until the flesh reaches at least 70°C and the crumbs form a light crust. Baste with the remaining tablespoon oil if drying. If needed, finish briefly under the grill while watching closely. Squeeze the lemon juice over just before removing from the heat.
Step 6
Meanwhile toast the small bread slices lightly. Mash the 2 additional desalted anchovy fillets very finely into the softened butter and spread thinly over the warm crostini. Surround the cooked hake with the crostini and serve immediately.
Step 7
A few rosemary leaves may be scattered over the breaded belly before baking if desired; omit them for the plain version. For caviar crostini, omit the 30 g butter and 2 anchovy fillets used for the bread, cool the toasted slices and top with about 30 g commercially prepared caviar kept according to its label. The anchovies on the fish remain unchanged.
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