Pan Fried Hake with Lemon Couscous

Crispy pan fried hake with a lemon couscous is a dish that I love to prepare as it takes no time at all to cook. Alongside eggs, fish is my favourite fast food. Full of protein, healthy and it takes minutes to cook.

I like to cook pan fried hake without flour. My youngest has been known to ask why people mess around covering fish with batter and "stuff" as she calls it? I have to say I agree with her. Keep it simple!

This is the easiest pan fried hake recipe as you need to do very little with the fish. Just season and cook in a really hot pan, then serve with a few sides.

In this case I've opted for a lemon couscous. I make this easy couscous recipe often, as it goes really well with seafood and shellfish. It is also great served with grilled chicken, so I often cook it as a BBQ side.

Worth mentioning that the couscous can be served warm like I've done here. However, leftovers make a great cold couscous salad the next day.

Why choose hake fillets?

Hake is a great sustainable fish, a member of the cod family, and a delicious fish to cook and eat. That said it is still not as popular here in the UK as either cod or haddock.

The Spanish love hake and I suspect much of our catch in the UK ends up on the Continent. This is a pity as it really is a great fish to cook with. Thick flakes of beautiful white fish, pan fried and finished with just a little butter. Perfection!

Recipe ingredients

• Hake - I use hake in this recipe, we eat it a lot in our house as it's a great tasting, sustainable white fish. You can use both skinless, or skin-on fillets, whichever you can get your hands on.
• Oil - I use sunflower or rapeseed oil when cooking this fish as it has a higher burn temperature than olive oil. However, I use olive oil for flavor when cooking the couscous as it has the best flavour.
• Butter - I add a knob of butter to the fish right at the end of the cook, spooning the melted butter over the fish to add flavour. I also fork butter through the couscous just before serving.
• Red onion - adds a lovely mild flavour to the couscous.
• Vegetables - I used a combination of red pepper, courgette (zucchini) and garlic to add some crunch to the soft couscous.
• Couscous - I love using couscous as it is easy to work with and super quick to cook.
• Lemon - The zest and juice of one lemon is added to the couscous to add a burst of citrus flavour. If you want more lemon flavour, simply add another lemon, it is entirely down to personal taste.
• Stock - I prefer to use vegetable stock in the lemon couscous as it compliments the flavours in the dish and in no way overpowers the delicate flavour of the fish.
• Parsley - For a burst of herbal freshness stir some chopped parsley through the couscous just before serving.

How to cook hake and lemon couscous

Start by preparing the lemon couscous as this will take longer to cook than the hake fillets which cook in minutes.

How to cook lemon couscous

• Pour the olive oil to a saucepan and place over a medium heat. Add the onions to the pan and cook gently for 5 minutes taking care to soften but not colour the onion.
• Add the courgette, pepper and garlic to the saucepan and continue to cook for a further minute. Then add the couscous, lemon zest and juice, and sea salt. Stir well to combine.

• Pour the hot vegetable stock over the couscous and take the pan off the heat. Cover with a lid and set aside, leaving the couscous to steam for 5 minutes.
• The couscous should now have absorbed all the stock, Season with salt and pepper, add the parsley and fork through the butter.
• Place the lid back on the saucepan until you finish cooking the fish.

TOP TIP: Forking butter through cooked couscous, just before serving, helps the grains to separate.

How to pan fry hake

• Meanwhile place a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the sunflower oil. Season both sides of the fish and place skin side down in the pan. Cook the fish for 3 minutes on this side then turn.
• Cook for a further 2 minutes, add the butter during the final minute of the cook and spoon the melted butter over the fish, then remove from the heat.
• The same method applies if cooking skinless hake fillets. Cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the fillet (see notes below).
• Spoon the couscous onto warm plates and place a fillet of hake on each. Serve immediately.

TOP TIP: If the non-stick on your pan isn't the best, line the pan with some baking parchment (see image above). Get the pan really hot, line with paper, then add the oil and cook the fish as you would without the paper. It's a great way to ensure the fish doesn't stick to the pan, and cooks the fillets beautifully.

Recipe variations

• Fish - I've used hake but you can substitute with any white fish. Cod, haddock, seabass or sea bream fillets would all work with the sharp lemon couscous. I've also seared swordfish steaks and served them with this couscous.
• Onion - I used a mild red onion in this recipe. Shallot would be a good swap.
• Vegetables - Swap in other vegetables try aubergine (eggplant), sliced mushrooms, broccoli, and handful of leafy greens like kale or spinach, garden peas.
• Fresh herbs - I finish the couscous with fresh parsley, but you could use basil or mint here too, or try a combination of fresh herbs.

Serving suggestions

The pan-fried hake fillets and lemon couscous are a meal on their own. If I was adding anything else to the table it would be a couple of light dressed salads like my Lettuce Salad with Fresh Herbs, or Fennel & Apple Slaw.

Useful hints and tips

1. Get the pan hot! To pan fry hake, or indeed any fillet of fish, the trick is to have the pan at a medium-high heat before you start cooking.
2. Use a non-stick pan: I also recommend using a non-stick frying pan as this helps to stop the fish from sticking to the pan.
3. Don't move the fish: When pan frying fish, if you want a crispy skin, start by cooking the fish skin side down and DO NOT move it about the pan. If you want the skin to crisp you have to move it as little as possible, only touching it when you are ready to turn it over to cook on the other side.
4. Add more lemon flavour: Cook a lemon in the pan along with your fish. Cut the lemon in half and place flesh side down in the frying pan. You can then serve half a lemon on each plate, which you can then squeeze over the fish or the couscous to add a lovely buttery lemon flavour to the dish.
5. Crunchy vegetables: The vegetables in this recipe are cooked for a relatively short amount of time as I wanted to retain the crunch of the vegetables alongside the soft couscous. If you prefer your vegetables softer, simply cook them a little longer.
6. For dairy free diners: Don't add the butter to the fish or the couscous, instead use a dairy free alternative.
7. Allergy advice: egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

Storage

Fish is a dish that is best served warm, straight from the pan. Reheating fish can lead to it become overcooked and drying out.

However, the lemon couscous makes great leftovers. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and it makes a great cold salad side.

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Additional recipe suggestions

if you like this recipe then try these simple fish dishes:

• Oven Baked Salmon with Parma Ham
• Easy Fish Pie
• Chinese Steamed Seabass
• Simple Devilled Mackerel

Looking for inspiration for feeding the family mid week, then take a look at my Ultimate Guide to Family Dinners. Full of useful hints, tips and recipes.