Quick Change...

Hake is so undervalued as a fish that for years in this country it was what you fed cats (lucky moggys). In Spain merluza is a firm favourite, the large fish is chopped into chunky steaks and cooked very simply. The flesh is firm and meaty and there are very few bones, pretty much everything you want out of a fish really. It has a more distinctive, fishier flavour than cod and is one ugly mofo to boot ,which is probably why we Brits only fed it to our pets (actually I know many people who's pets eat way better than they do).

I found some smaller hake at the fishmonger who reckoned it wouldn't be big enough for steaks but would make some good sized fillets (good sized? they were gargantuan!). I grilled it with some olive oil, lemon and a few baby toms and layed it across some mashed tatties. Lovely.

Unfortunately, half way through cooking, the girlfriend rang saying that her "one" Friday night drink after work had become "some" and she wouldn't be back till later and hadn't I got her message? Luckily I made mine and mashed all of hers together in the pot. They'll be some great fish cakes for lunch tomorrow.