magid

This week it was hake, which only comes beheaded* (according to the newsletter, those who pay for the fish on the docks didn't want hake heads (no clue why, since they're fine with all sorts of other fish heads), so fishermen got into the habit of cutting the heads off hake while still at sea. Which may well be true, but doesn't exactly explain why they're doing it when fishing for the fish share, unless they're doing more than just fish share fishing, I suppose.). The plus is that I end up with a lot more edible fish for the same weight, which in this case, was two medium (headless) hake.

I filleted them both (I am so totally in a rut, and yet, more filleting practice is good, since I'm far from perfect (especially far this week; I managed to make more of a hash of it than usual)), putting the frames on to poach. I covered a baking sheet with good-size pieces of fillet, covering them with a thin layer of a mixture of chipotle mustard, mayo, and diced preserved lemon, then topping that with panko and tandoori seasoning. I baked them at about 450 F for 13 minutes, which got them to just done, once they'd rested for a few minutes outside the oven. Really, most fish are fabulous if cooked just enough (with apologies to the sushi-is-the-only-acceptable-fish-form folks), moist and just a bit meaty at the same time.

* It sounds like a case for Encyclopedia Brown, "The Case of the Headless Hake."