Hake with lemon couscous, a delicious fish main. Pairing this great sustainable fish with the fresh flavours of the Mediterranean.
Hake with a lemon couscous is a dish that I love to prepare as it takes no time at all to cook and get on the table.
Alongside eggs, fish is my favourite fast food. Full of protein, healthy and it takes minutes to cook.
I'm lucky as my family all love fish and therefore it's a regular feature on our dinner table. My youngest has been known to ask why people mess around covering fish with batter and "stuff"?
She likes her fish "just pan fried please!" I have to say that when you get fish as fresh as the beautiful hake we cooked with here, I agree entirely.
Why choose Hake fillet?
Hake is a great sustainable fish and therefore a fish we should be eating more of. A member of the cod family, Hake is a delicious fish to cook. 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 lands on the Continent. This is a pity as it really is a great fish to eat and cook with. Thick flakes of beautiful white fish, pan fried and finished with just a little butter. Perfection!
Hake with Lemon Couscous - Recipe Steps:
Start by preparing the lemon couscous as this will take longer to cook than the fillets of hake.
How to cook lemon couscous?
Once the couscous has absorbed all the stock, season with salt and pepper to taste and stir through the parsley and butter. Serve with the hake once the fish has cooked.
How to cook hake?
Once the lemon couscous is in the pan steaming, get on with the hake fillet recipe.
Hake is a great fish to cook with, lovely white flakes of beautifully flavoured fish. I prefer to cook it simply and pan fried hake is my favourite cooking method.
Pan fried hake, cooked quickly and at a high heat, gives lovely crispy skin, whilst maintaining lovely soft flakes of fish.
Place the fillets on kitchen paper to remove any excess moisture.
Cook the hake fillets for 3 minutes on this side. DO NOT move the fish, you want the skin to become crispy.
Recipe ingredients and substitutions:
- Hake is used in this recipe as it is a great tasting, sustainable fish. However, you could substitute with any white fish. Cod, haddock, seabass or sea bream fillets would all work with the sharp lemon couscous.
- Red onion adds a lovely mild flavour to the couscous, but you can use shallot or a brown onion if that's what you have in your store.
- Courgette, red pepper and garlic add flavour and some crunch to the soft couscous. However, you can add in other vegetables if you prefer: aubergine; sliced mushrooms; butternut squash; broccoli; spinach; garden peas. [NOTE: if cooking something like butternut squash you will have to cook the vegetables longer to soften the squash.]
- Vegetable stock works well in the lemon couscous as it compliments the flavours in the dish and in no way overpowers the delicate flavour of the fish. If you don't have vegetable stock you can use chicken stock as a substitute.
- 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.
- The couscous is finished off with some chopped parsley. Parsley not only works well, alongside the lemon, within the couscous, but also compliments the fish. However, you could substitute the parsley with some fresh basil leaf if you prefer.
Handy hints and tips:
- 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. I also recommend using a non-stick frying pan as this helps to stop the fish from sticking to the pan.
- 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.
- Add more lemon flavour to this recipe, 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.
- 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.
Our thanks to Stephen at Peterhead Fish Company for supplying the beautiful fillets of hake used in this dish. For details of Stephen's fish round and the fish he has available please head to his Facebook page and website for further details.
Pin the recipe:
Additional recipe suggestions:
If you like this recipe then try some of our other simple fish dishes:
- Oven Baked Salmon with Parma Ham
- Easy Fish Pie
- Hake with Warm Red Quinoa Salad
- Chinese Steamed Seabass
- Simple Devilled Mackerel
Looking for inspiration for feeding the family mid week, then take a look at our Ultimate Guide to Family Dinners. Full of useful hints, tips and recipes.
Hake with lemon couscous
Ingredients
Lemon Couscous
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion (finely chopped)
- 1 courgette (diced)
- 1 red pepper (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 100 g couscous
- 300 ml vegetable stock
- 1 zest and juice of lemon (finely grated)
- 20 g butter
- 1 handful fresh parsley (chopped)
Pan fried Hake
- 400 g hake fillet (skin on and cut into 200g portions)
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- salt & pepper
- 10 g butter
Instructions
- 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 stir well to combine.
- Pour the vegetable stock over the couscous and take the pan off the heat. Cover with a lid and leave the couscous to steam for 5 minutes.
- 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. Add a knob of butter, cook for a further 2 minutes and remove from the heat.
- The couscous should now have absorbed all the stock, Season with salt and pepper, add the parsley and fork through the butter.
- Spoon the couscous onto warm plates and place a fillet of hake on each. Serve immediately.
Notes
• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •
Shirley Cook says
Loved this recipe really simple and fresh thank you !
Lesley says
Thank you Shirley, I'm glad you enjoyed this simple fish dish, it's one of my favourite ways to cook fish.
Nicola says
Sorry, but the couscous was dull. One minute wasn’t enough to cook the pepper and courgette and there wasn’t enough lemon. I won’t be making this again.
Lesley says
Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the couscous. The reason the pepper and courgette is cooked for such a short length of time is so that it remains crunchy. The couscous is soft, as is the fish so we like to keep the vegetables very much on the al-dente side However, as with all recipes, if you want to cook the vegetables a little longer then please do so. Likewise, if you wish to add more lemon to the the dish then again please do so. It's always better to add a smaller quantity and add more if you think you need it as you can always add, but never takeaway. This is particularly important when flavouring with lemon as you don't want it coming through too soapy on the dish.
Andrew Redfern says
I thought the recipe was fabulous. I replaced courgette with petit pois, only because that was what I had, but I don't think it was the lesser for it. Superb
Lesley says
Thank you Andrew, I'm really glad you enjoyed our recipe. The couscous is a favourite in my house and I often adapt the veggies depending on what I have in the fridge/freezer at the time. Petit pois are a great substitution.
Dianne Carter says
Such an easy dish to make, but absolutely delicious. Loved The Mediterranean flavours and perfect at the moment for a fresh, summer dish. A bonus in fact that, except for cooking the fish, it’s all made in one dish. I added two chopped mushrooms because we love our vegetables. Go for it, you won’t be disappointed.
Lesley says
Thank you Dianne, this is my favourite summer fish dish and like you say - all the easier as the couscous is cooked in one pan! Like your idea of adding chopped mushrooms, they would work really well in the dish. Lesley x
Susan says
Aw this looks lush ! hHave been trying to mix up my lunches to be more interesting so think I'm going to try this out this week !
Lesley says
Thank you Susan it’s such a lovely dish and cooked in minutes! Lesley x
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
What a beautiful summery dish. I love simple fish dishes so this is right up my street 😀 Eb x
Michelle says
Thanks Eb, simple fish is one of the best fast foods isn’t it!? Cheers. Michelle.
Hannah says
This looks delicious! I've never tried hake, but I'm a big fan of white, flaky fish so I'll definitely be giving it a go! It sounds just perfect with the lemon couscous too!
Michelle says
Thanks Hannah, so pleased its something you like the look of. Its a lovely fish and if you like white flaky fish you'll love this one. The lemon & Veg couscous works well on its own or with a piece of grilled chicken as well.
Hope you enjoy
Michelle x
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says
I'll go with "just pan fried please" fish any day of the week too. Perfect summery and light fish supper! Couscous and fish go so well together, love it, love it, love it!
Michelle says
I totally agree Jo, a beautiful fresh piece of fish doesn't need anything else to it. Thanks, Michelle x
Donna says
I love fish. And Couscous. And Lemon. And food that's easy to prepare. So this all sounds very good! Looks yummy too!
Michelle says
Thanks Donna, it really is a simple dish, thats what I love about fish! I'll be making this again when my inlaws visit as they prefer fish to meat so this is a great dish for then. Cheers, Michelle x
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
This looks like the perfect meal for summer. So light and fresh with delicious flavours.
Michelle says
Thanks Cat, it is that prefect light lunch or dinner, not to mention quick as well, perfect if having friends for a weekend lunch. Cheers, Michelle