This baked hake with spiced rice is the perfect way to get more fish into your diet!

Sep 23, 2021

This one pot dish has tons of flavour and very little washing up, which is a win for us! It serves 4 people and takes just 45 minutes to make, meaning it’s a quick and easy dinner to throw together that’s also tasty and good for us!

Fish has long been recognised as one of nature’s healthiest foods and with its rich package of nutrients it is one of the few foods that can truly be called a super-food. Fish helps to develop a healthy body, for people of all ages, from teenagers to people of more mature years. Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in Ireland, but people who eat fish can cut their risk of heart disease by up to 50%!

You need to eat fish at least once a week to get the full benefit for your heart. It also has other benefits for your well being, and this is why nutritionists recommend that we eat fish twice a week. This should include at least one oil-rich fish – such as mackerel, herring, trout and salmon.

You’ll need…

4 x 150g hake fillets, skinned and boned

3 tsp rapeseed or olive oil

100g bacon or locally produced chorizo, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and very finely sliced

A few sprigs of thyme

250g arborrio rice

100ml white wine or water

600ml chicken stock

A handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

2tsp lemon juice

To serve: Seasonal vegetables or salad

Heat the oven to Gas Mark 4, 180°C (350°F).

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 30cm casserole dish. Cook the bacon/chorizo and onion, stirring frequently, for about 6 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and the onion has softened.

Turn the heat to low and add garlic and thyme. Cook for another 2 minutes, then add in the rice and stir well to coat the rice in the oil.

Next add in the wine or water, stock and seasoning and bring to the boil. Put into the oven, uncovered for 10 minutes, then remove and nestle in the hake fillets.

Season the hake and drizzle over a little oil. Cover and bake for another 15 minutes. After 10 minutes remove the lid.

To serve: Mix together the parsley, lemon juice, remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and a little seasoning. Drizzle over the fish and serve!