Hake with caramelised cauliflower purée and braised cabbage

Serves 4  

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time:
1 hour 

This dish is unfortunately very brown which makes it very hard to photograph. Which is unfortunate as it absolutely divine.

Ingredients
4 hake fillets, weighing approx 150g each
2 tbsp flavourless oil  

Purée
500g cauliflower, cut into florets with the stalk finely sliced
100g butter
100ml dry sherry
200ml water
1 tbsp sherry vinegar

Cabbage
1 hispi cabbage, cut into quarters through the root so you have wedges
1 tbsp flavourless oil
300g chicken stock

Sauce
40g butter
20g capers, drained
20g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1 lemon, juiced

Method
For the cauliflower purée, add the cauliflower to a saucepan with the butter and cook over a medium/lowish heat, stirring regularly until the cauliflower has turned a dark golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Deglaze the cauliflower pan with the sherry and then Still over a low heat bring to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes to reduce. Pour in the water and simmer for another 10 minutes until the cauliflower is completely soft.

Meanwhile, preheat an oven to 80c and put an oven dish that is large enough to take the cabbage into the oven.  Put a frying pan over a high heat and add the oil.  Put the cabbage flat side down and cook for 6 minutes, turning on to the other cut side halfway through, until they are deep brown and beginning to char. Pour in the chicken stock, turn down the heat, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Put the fish, skin side down, on to a plate lined with kitchen roll - this will remove any moisture from the fish skin so that you can get a gorgeous crispy brown skin.

Put the contents of the cauliflower pan into a blender and add the sherry vinegar. Blitz until completely smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a transfer to a small pan, and keep warm over a low heat.

Take the cabbage out of the stock and transfer to the now warm oven dish.  Pour the remaining chicken stock into a small saucepan and over a medium heat, simmer and reduce by around a third.

Give the frying pan a quick clean and put it back over a high heat. Season the hake fillets with salt and pepper and add the oil to the pan.  Put the fish into the pan skin side down and immediately turn the heat down to medium.  Cook for 4-5 minutes until the skin is golden and crispy.

Once the skin is crispy, add the butter, capers and hazelnuts to the pan and baste the fish for a minute.  Turn off the heat, lift the fish out of the pan and set aside to rest. Pour everything else left in the pan into the reduced chicken stock.  Add some lemon juice and check the seasoning.  How much lemon juice you want will depend on your taste but I like mine very lemony.

To serve, divide the purée between 4 plates and using the back of a spoon, create a circle. Place the hake and cabbage on top and finish with the capery, hazelnutty sauce all over the top.

 - Recipe taken from Around the Table - Great British Chefs