Matt Price's Hake, Bacon and Potato Bake

Matt Price is a fisherman. I have the utmost respect for fishermen, full stop. But Matt is also a bit of a legend insomuch that he’s also a top cook, and when I say ‘top cook,’ the guy can turn out incredible seafood dishes from a galley that’s no more 2m x 2m (literally). Add to that a pitching, rolling swell and limited access to normal kitchen requisites, the food that Pricey turns out for his shipmates, day after day and after his duties on deck as First Mate, is awesome and really does it for me. .

I first met Matt when I went aboard the ‘Ajax’ for a hake netting trip in 2017, to write an article for Country Life magazine. It was only a short trip - 5 days fishing the Western Approaches, 40 miles North of the Scillies in the Celtic Sea. However, a defining moment for me, as I got to witness and be involved in the running of a commercial fishing vessel following the story of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) accredited hake from ‘net to plate’.

Aboard the Ajax, I was treated to some of the freshest fish that I’ve been privileged to consume - whole megrim on the bone for breakfast, monkfish Provençal and of course hake served a variety ways straight from the galley. For a seafood obsessive like myself, probably the nirvana that I’ve been searching for!

So with more than a nod to Pricey and his outstanding gift for feeding people miles out to sea, here’s his Hake, Bacon and Potato Bake - or rather my version of it, where I’ve included a few leeks and guessed quite a lot, so he won’t sue me for plagiarism ;-)

Hake Bacon Leek & Potato Bake

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g MSC Cornish Hake loin

300g waxy potatoes e.g Desiree (thick sliced)

4 rashers smoked streaky bacon (diced) (or pancetta)

1 large brown onion (finely chopped)

2 leeks (sliced)

250g butter

250ml full fat milk

1 litre of fish stock (preferably made from the hake frame/head)

1 tbsp plain flour

A little cornflour

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season.

Smoked paprika for dusting.

Method

First slice the hake loin into bite size chunks and brown on a high heat. Remove skin (if still on) and set aside.

Fry the bacon/pancetta until crispy and drain. In the same pan add a little butter and season and sauté first the chopped onion and the leeks until soft, but not burnt.

Parboil the potatoes and drain.

Make a basic roux with the butter and milk and then thin to a sauce with the fish stock, until smooth but not runny. Add the Dijon mustard and chopped parsley, whisk in and add a little cornflour to thicken back if necessary.

Now incorporate the leeks, onion, bacon and hake with the sauce. Season again with black pepper. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish and arrange the sliced parboiled potatoes on top. Brush with melted butter and dust with black pepper and a little smoked paprika.

Bake the mixture at 180C for 15 -20 mins and finish off under a hot grill to colour the potato crust.

Serve with a dressed green salad and chunks of crusty French bread.

Magnifique……

Whiting Gin Tempura with Homemade Tartare Sauce.

Early autumn on the Suffolk Coast is always heralded by the arrival of an extremely ubiquitous but very undervalued white fish - the whiting (Merlangius melangus) which are present year round inshore, but traditionally arrive in greater numbers throughout September and October. They always used to be the prelude to the inshore winter cod fishery here, but for various reasons that I won’t expound here, cod have rather dropped off the chart and we have seen any commercial number now for several years.

Whiting however yes and thank goodness, as they are so, so tasty, easy to prepare and have the lightest of textures if prepped and cooked correctly. We caught and ate a lot of them when I was growing up and generally cooked them on the bone, which although incredibly flavoursome, used to frustrate me as the bones are fine and sharp and can be tiresome. However, on a successful foray aboard ‘Avocet’ recently to fish one of my childhood fishing marks out of Felixstowe Ferry, I thought I’d share a very easy and delicious way of enjoying whiting to its max, without the bones and the fuss.

Apart from providing a good bit of sport, these little fish are a delight to eat straight out of the water. Seafood doesn’t come much fresher and if you can get hold of them this fresh or from a day-boat fishmonger, then you’ll experience the same buzz that I do. If you can, get fresh whole fish and either fillet or get the fishmonger too. We used to catch so many back in the 70’s and 80’s that it was quite common for us to have a group of folk around the boat when we landed and would gladly give them away.

Whiting Gin-Tempura with homemade Tartare Sauce.

This recipe really is another ‘less-is more’ example of enjoying fresh fish at its best. A great lighter take on fish and chips or a tapas-style dish for sharing. You don’t need to skin the whiting either, as it cooks and eats so well with very few scales.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4-6 fresh day-boat whiting (cleaned and filleted)

Well-seasoned plain flour for dredging.

150g plain flour

150g cornflour

Splash of your favourite artisan gin

Sea salt and ground black pepper.

250ml sparkling mineral water

Lemon wedges to serve

For the tartare sauce

2 fresh free-range egg yolks

200 ml groundnut oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp chopped capers

2 tsp chopped cornichons

Handful chopped fresh parsley

Pinch sea salt

Couple of drops of Escheta (anchovy essence).

Method

Cut the fillets into small bite-sized strips and dredge with the seasoned flour and dust off the excess.

Prepare the tempura batter by combining the flours, adding a pinch of sea salt and whisking in the sparkling water to a loose consistency. Refrigerate

Heat the oil in a shallow pan to a moderate heat and test with a drop of the batter.

Meanwhile, make a mayonnaise for the tartare sauce, by whisking the egg yolks, salt and Dijon mustard together whilst adding a steady stream of the groundnut oil. Whisk until it peaks and then fold in the chopped capers, cornichons and parsley. Add a couple of drops of the Escheta and whisk again. Refrigerate.

Dip the fish pieces in the batter to cover liberally and place in the hot oil, frying for 2 mins on either side or until crispy and very light brown. Drain on kitchen roll and serve immediately with the tartare sauce and a squeeze of lemon.

Light, fresh seasonal fish at its very best using a very sustainable alternative to cod and haddock. Works well too with pollack.