Hake Fillets en Salsa Verde with Asparagus

Ingredients

• 3 Hake Fillets fillets, about 6 oz each
• 1 cup Asparagus, trimmed
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 cup fish stock
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chopped parsley
• 12 clams, scrubbed (optional)
• ½ cup frozen peas
• Salt and white pepper

Method

1. Salt the Hake Fillets on both sides and leave it 10 minutes, then blot dry. This firms the flesh so it does not fall apart in the sauce.
2. Warm the olive oil in a wide shallow pan over low heat and cook the garlic until barely blond, 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute without browning.
3. Add the wine and stock and swirl the pan in a slow figure-eight, never with a spoon. Constant motion is what emulsifies the fish gelatin and oil into a pale green sauce.
4. Lay in the Hake Fillets skin-side down, add the clams and Asparagus, cover, and cook 6–8 minutes, shaking the pan every 30 seconds. Fish is done at 145°F (63°C) and the clams should be open — discard any that stay shut.
5. Add the peas and parsley in the last minute. The sauce should be thick enough to nap the fish but still pourable; loosen with a spoonful of stock if it tightens.
6. Serve straight from the pan with bread. Salsa verde waits for nobody.