Hake stewed in tomato

For cooking hake in sauce, it is better to use not whole fish, but fillets. In the case of hake, there will be no bones in the fillet and you can eat it safely even for small children. It is easier to remove the fillet from the fish that is not fully thawed, then it will still be dense and easily cut off from the ridge.

Freshly frozen hake is sold without scales and head, already gutted. Therefore, we just defrost the fish a little, wash it, dry it and remove the fillets with a sharp knife with two cuts along the ridge. Then we leave it on a plate until it is completely defrosted.

In a deep bowl, we prepare the marinade. Mix the freshly squeezed juice of one lemon, the zest of the same lemon, salt and pepper. We put the fillets in the marinade so that the fish is covered on all sides, leave for 30 minutes.

While the marinating process is underway, we clean, wash and cut the onion into small cubes. Fry in vegetable oil until soft and transparent. Garlic is passed through a press, add to the onion. Pour in the water, cover with a lid and simmer for 7-10 minutes.

Tomatoes cut into small pieces. For the tenderness of the sauce, it is better to remove the skin from them, having previously poured boiling water over them. Put the tomatoes in a frying pan with onions, add basil, salt, ground red and black pepper, ketchup (tomato sauce) and simmer on low heat, without closing the lid, for 7-10 minutes. During this time, the tomato slices will soften, and the sauce will become homogeneous.

As soon as the sauce is extinguished, we spread the hake fillet that has already had enough time to marinate on its surface.Cover the pan with a lid and stew the fish already in the sauce for 10-12 minutes. The tender fillet will have time to cook during this time, while it will not fall apart, but will remain smooth neat pieces in a magnificent and rich tomato sauce.

Served hot with lemon slices and basil sprigs. Hake according to this recipe can be combined with a side dish or be a completely independent dish.

Bon appetit!