Succulent fillets of hake coated in a crispy, golden batter and served hot out of the panIf you’ve been reading this blog for a while now, you’ll know that we don’t enjoy fish that much, so don’t eat that much of it – hence the lack of 'fishy' recipes on the blog. But, the other day I managed to find a nice box of imported frozen hake fillets in a supermarket in the city, so we decided to have a Friday night ‘fish and chips’ meal. (Hake is the lean flesh of a fish similar to cod, and is a popular fish here in Africa - especially in South Africa).
Here is the recipe for the batter which I made -: (to convert the quantities into measurements which suit you best, please scroll to the end of this page where you will see my 'Recipe Converter')
Fillet of Hake in a Crispy Batter (recipe from 'The Complete South African Cookbook' by Magdaleen Van Wyk)
4 pieces of Hake fillets (or any other fish of your choice)
120 gm Flour
2 ml (1/2 tsp) Salt
1 ml (1/4 tsp) Pepper
2 ml (1/2 tsp) Baking Powder
1 Egg, slightly beaten
250 ml (1 cup) Milk
5 ml (1 tsp) Oil
Combine the flour, salt, pepper and baking powder and stir in the milk and egg. Beat in the oil until a smooth batter is obtained. Dip the fish in the batter. Heat some oil in a frying pan to around 180’C (350’F). Place the fish into the hot oil and turn once after +- 5 to 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillet of fish). Then fry for a further 5 minutes. Lift the fish out of the oil and hold suspended for about a minute to allow the excess oil to drain off. Place on a plate lined with absorbent kitchen paper. Serve hot with lemon wedges or tartare sauce.
120 gm Flour
2 ml (1/2 tsp) Salt
1 ml (1/4 tsp) Pepper
2 ml (1/2 tsp) Baking Powder
1 Egg, slightly beaten
250 ml (1 cup) Milk
5 ml (1 tsp) Oil
Combine the flour, salt, pepper and baking powder and stir in the milk and egg. Beat in the oil until a smooth batter is obtained. Dip the fish in the batter. Heat some oil in a frying pan to around 180’C (350’F). Place the fish into the hot oil and turn once after +- 5 to 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillet of fish). Then fry for a further 5 minutes. Lift the fish out of the oil and hold suspended for about a minute to allow the excess oil to drain off. Place on a plate lined with absorbent kitchen paper. Serve hot with lemon wedges or tartare sauce.
