rose harissa hake with roasted cauliflower

This recipe is a delicious mix of lovely warm spices from the rose harissa and slight sweetness from the hake and coconut milk. It’s a great way to get a bit more fish in your diet - and cooking it in a sauce was always a good way to get my kids to eat it!

Depending on how spicy you want to go, you can double the rose harissa for extra heat or dial it back if you want a milder creamier flavour.

Roasted cauliflower is one of my favourite veggies and works really well with this dish. I’ve made it super tasty with a mix of coconut oil, cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika. Cauliflower adds extra fiber to your plate and is also high in a compound called sulforaphane, which may enhance detoxification activity in the liver and protect against free radical cell damage in the body.

Hake is a good source of lean protein, with around 20g per 100g fillet. It’s a ‘complete’ protein containing all 9 ‘essential’ amino acids; these aminos are essential as they must be consumed in the diet as the body cannot synthesise them. It’s important to eat sufficient amounts of protein (I try to eat 1.5-2g per kg of body weight per day) for muscle repair and growth, immune function, heart health, and even brain function.

Hake is a good source of tryptophan, one of the nine essential amino acids. Tryptophan is understood to improve sleep quality as it helps to produce the hormone melatonin. Tryptophan is also a precursor to serotonin, which is important for sleep, mood, and appetite regulation.

Hake contains healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega 3s (but in smaller amounts than oily fish such as salmon and mackerel); these fats may have anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce the risk of heart and neurodegenerative diseases.

Hake is also high in several minerals that are essential for keeping our bodies functioning properly. The main ones include:

Phosphorus - this mineral is found in high-protein food as phosphates. It is associated with energy metabolism and can help with weight control. It also helps to maintain a normal PH, and is a major component of cell membranes, bones, and teeth. 85% of phosphorus in the body is found in bones.

Potassium - is a mineral and electrolyte that balances sodium levels in the body and, therefore, may help to regulate blood pressure. It is needed for normal muscular and nerve function and plays a role in maintaining bone density by neutralizing acids that can leach calcium from bones. A diet rich in potassium may help to reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

Magnesium is essential for over 300 enzymatic processes in the body, including energy production, DNA synthesis, muscle contraction and relaxation, blood sugar regulation, nerve function, and bone health.

These minerals are key to maintaining a healthy metabolism and bone strength and density and may be important in mid-life. Metabolism and lean muscle can decrease, and women, in particular, are more susceptible to a decrease in bone density and osteoporosis with declining levels of oestrogen as they reach perimenopause.

• If you can’t get hold of hake, sub for any other white fish or salmon. You could also make this recipe vegan by using firm tofu chopped into cubes instead of fish.

Ingredients

Serves 4 

• ½ tbsp coconut oil 

• 1 lg onion, half moon slices

• 1 red pepper, sliced 

• 1 lg garlic clove, grated finely 

• 1 x 400g tinned tomatoes

• 1 x 400g tin coconut milk 

• 1 tbsp rose harissa

• 4 hake fillets

• Handful chopped coriander

• 2 limes cut in quarters 

• 1 cauliflower, chopped in med florets

• ½ tsp ground cumin 

• ½ tsp ground coriander 

• ½ tsp ground smoked paprika

• Pinch of sea salt

Method 

• Heat the oven to 180. 

• Warm a large sauté pan and melt the coconut oil. 

• Gently fry the onions for 10 mins, then add the red pepper for another 10 min. 

• Prep the cauliflower by spreading it in a large baking tray, add 4-5 knobs of coconut oil and the ground spices. Set aside. 

• Next, add the garlic to the onions and peppers for a minute before mixing in the ground spices. Allow to warm for 20 seconds, and then pour in the tomatoes and coconut milk. Add the harissa and simmer for 15 minutes. 

• Add the fish to the sauce for 10-12 minutes until the fish is cooked. 

• Place the cauliflower in the oven for 12 minutes. 

• Finish the fish by adding a good pinch of sea salt and chopped coriander, and serve with a couple of lime wedges.  

  Tip

• Switch tinned for 6 large vine tomatoes. 

• You can use any white fish in this dish, so cod, sea bass, pollack

•  The sauce won’t be particularly thick but don’t worry, the rice and cauliflower soak it all up. You could add a tbsp of cornflower mixed in a little water to thicken if you want to though. Just make sure you whisk it into the sauce quickly, or it’ll end up in a lump! 

Spanish style hake with lemon courgette & wholewheat cous cous

Although we eat a lot of veggies in our house, we do also eat fish about once a week. We have a great local fishmonger or we sometimes get organic deliveries from Able & Cole. I’ve also introduced some organic chicken back into my diet, which I probably eat once a week or every two. The idea is to eat meat that is as high quality as possible, but far less often (than I used to a year or so ago) and the same goes for the rest of the fam.

Anyway, back to tonight! This is a great mid-week dish as it’s super quick and easy to prepare, even quicker if you make the tomato sauce in advance (up to 3 days). Then you would only need to add the fish and pop in the oven for 15 minutes. Likewise, this would be a great meal to make for friends at the weekend as it’s very hands off, leaving you more time to drink and chat!

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 medium onion, small dice

• 1 red pepper, small dice

• 1 large garlic clove, chopped finely

• 1 tsp pimentón (paprika) or sweet smoked paprika

• 2 x 400g tins cherry tomatoes, or chopped plum

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 4 fillets of hake

• 1 courgette, 1 cm round slices

• 1 lemon, cut in wedges

• A small handful of chopped parsley

• 200g wholewheat cous cous

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 fan / 200ºc.

2. Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a wide shallow oven-proof saucepan. Add the onions, cook for 5 minutes, then add the red pepper, cooking for a further 10 minutes on low.

3. Next mix in the garlic and cook for a minute or so and then add the pimento and stir well.

4. Pour in the cherry tomatoes; rinse out the cans with an inch of water and add to the sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes and then stir in the sea salt.

5. Cook the basmati as per the packet instructions – usually 20-25 minutes simmering in boiling water.

6. Once the tomato sauce is cooked, place the hake into the tomato sauce, so it is half submerged and slide the pan into the oven for 15 minutes until the fish is just cooked through. You can also simmer on the hob if you don’t have an oven proof pan.

1. While the hake cooks, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium sized frying pan. Fry the courgette slices on a med-high heat for 3-4 minutes a side or until browned. Set aside on a warm plate and dress with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of sea salt. Cover loosely with a piece of foil to keep warm.

2. As the courgette cooks put the cous cous in a small saucepan or heatproof bowl with a good pinch of salt, pour over 300ml boiling water. Cover and stand for 8-10 minutes until soft.

3. When the fish is ready, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with the remaining lemon wedges.