Pollock tacos and hake with saffron aïoli and butter beans: Andy Beynon’s summer fish recipes | Food
adminUpdated 1 hour Ago3 Mins read
Summer is my favourite time of year to cook fish. There are so many fantastic seasonal species available and, so long as they’re properly fresh and of good quality, they need very little intervention. I often look for lightness, freshness and acidity to bring balance and lift to a summery fish dish, whether that comes from citrus, herbs or a sharp dressing, because those elements enhance the natural flavour of the fish, rather than masking it. These recipes are ideal for relaxed summer cooking: full of flavour, yet straightforward enough for a midweek meal.
Crisp pollock tacos with grilled sweetcorn, jalapeño yoghurt and lime-pickled cucumber
Want to save this recipe? Download the Guardian Feast app to add this to your collection.
Prep 15 min
Pickle 20 min+
Cook 25 min
Serves 4
For the lime-pickled cucumber
1 cucumber, trimmed, deseeded and thinly sliced
Juice of 2 limes
1 small handful fresh mint leaves
1 tsp sugar
Salt and black pepper
For the jalapeño yoghurt
1 fresh jalapeño, deseeded (leave the pith and seeds in if you like more heat)
1 small handful coriander leaves
1 small garlic clove, peeled
200g Greek yoghurt
Juice of 1 lime
For the sweetcorn
Two corn cobs, or 300g fresh kernels
1 tsp olive oil
For the pollock
75g plain flour
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
500g pollock fillets, cut into finger-width strips
1 egg, beaten
100g panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying
To serve
8 small corn tortillas, or flour tortillas
Shredded red cabbage (optional)
Coriander leaves
Lime wedges
Put the sliced cucumber in a bowl with the lime juice, mint, sugar and ½ tsp salt, toss to combine, then leave to pickle for at least 20 minutes.
Blend or finely chop the jalapeño, coriander and garlic, then mix with the yoghurt, lime juice and a pinch of salt, and chill until needed.
Brush the sweetcorn with oil, grill until lightly charred, then cut the kernels off the cob and season.
Mix the flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. One by one, dredge the fish strips in the flour mixture, then dip them in the beaten egg and coat with the breadcrumbs.
Put 1cm vegetable oil in a deep-sided frying pan on a medium-high heat, then, working in batches, if need be, fry the pollock strips for two to three minutes on each side, until golden, crisp and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm while you cook the rest of the fish.
Warm the tortillas for a few seconds on each side in a dry frying pan.
To serve, spread a spoonful of jalapeño yoghurt over one side of each tortilla. Top with a little shredded cabbage, if using, then lay the crisp pollock, grilled sweetcorn and drained pickled cucumber on top. Finish with coriander leaves and a squeeze of lime.
Roast hake with saffron aïoli and crabby anchovy-roasted garlic butter beans with tarragon
Want to save this recipe? Download the Guardian Feast app to add this to your collection.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4
For the butter beans
1 garlic bulb
Olive oil
2 400g tins butter beans, drained and lightly rinsed
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
1 handful fresh coriander leaves
4 anchovy fillets, drained and finely chopped
100g white crab meat
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon, plus extra to garnish
Salt and black pepper
For the aïoli
1 pinch saffron threads
150g mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated
1 tsp lemon juice
For the hake
4 hake fillets – about 150-180g each
1 tbsp olive oil
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Slice the top off the garlic bulb to expose the flesh inside, drizzle all over with a little oil, then wrap in tinfoil and roast for 40-45 minutes, until soft and caramelised.
Meanwhile, soak the saffron in a tablespoon of warm water for five minutes. Once steeped, stir the saffron and its water into the mayonnaise, add the garlic and lemon juice, then season lightly and chill until needed.
Put the drained butter beans in a roasting tray with a tablespoon of olive oil, add the finely diced chilli and picked coriander, and toss to combine. Roast alongside the garlic for the last 20 minutes, stirring once halfway, until lightly golden.
Squeeze the roast garlic flesh out of the skins, then mash to a paste. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan, then gently fry the anchovies, stirring, for a minute or two, until they dissolve. Stir in the garlic paste, then fold the lot through the hot roast butter beans. Gently mix in the crab meat, lemon juice and tarragon, season to taste and keep warm.
At least half an hour before you want to cook it, pat dry the hake and season generously – this will give the salt time to draw out any excess moisture and firm up the fish. Put an ovenproof frying pan on medium-high heat, add the olive oil, then lay in the hake skin side down, turn up the heat to high and leave to caramelise for a minute. Flip over the pieces of fish so they’re now skin side up, then transfer to the oven and roast for five minutes, until just cooked through (the cooking time will depend on the thickness of the fish).
Divide the crabby anchovy butter beans between four warmed plates, top each portion with a piece of the roast hake and serve with a generous spoonful of saffron aïoli alongside. Garnish with extra tarragon, if desired.
Leave a comment