Hake in cider: traditional Asturian recipe step by step
Hake in cider
Ingredients for 4 people
- 4 good-sized hake steaks or fillets.
- 500 g potatoes.
- 1 onion.
- 2 garlic cloves.
- 2 ripe tomatoes.
- 250 ml natural Asturian cider.
- Flour for lightly coating the hake.
- Olive oil.
- Fresh parsley.
- Salt.
How to make hake in cider step by step
1. Prepare the potatoes
Peel the potatoes, wash them and cut them into slices about half a centimetre thick. Lightly fry them in olive oil without letting them brown completely, as they will finish cooking later in the sauce. Remove and set aside.
2. Prepare the sofrito
Finely chop the onion and garlic cloves. Add a little olive oil to a wide casserole and gently sauté them until the onion is soft and translucent.
3. Add the tomato
Peel and chop the ripe tomatoes and add them to the casserole. Cook gently until the sofrito is well cooked and much of the tomato liquid has evaporated.
4. Add the cider
Vierte aproximadamente 250 ml natural Asturian cider sobre el sofrito. Sube ligeramente el fuego y deja cocer durante unos minutos para que la sidra se integre con el tomate, la cebolla y el ajo.
5. Prepare the hake
Season the hake steaks or fillets with salt and coat them very lightly with flour, shaking off any excess. The flour will help give the sauce a little body as it cooks.
6. Add the potatoes and hake
Arrange the reserved potatoes in the casserole, making sure they are coated with the sauce. Place the pieces of hake on top in a single layer so that they cook evenly.
7. Cook gently
Cook everything together over low heat for approximately 8–10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the hake. While it cooks, gently move the casserole back and forth to help the sauce come together without breaking the fish.
8. Finish and serve
Check the seasoning, sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve the hake immediately with the potatoes, generously covered with the cider sauce.
Tips for perfect hake in cider
Use natural cider. To preserve the Asturian character of the dish, use natural Asturian cider, rather than sweet or sparkling cider.
Do not overcook the hake. It is a delicate fish and overcooking can make it dry. The exact cooking time will depend on the thickness of the steaks or fillets.
Only partially fry the potatoes. They should still be slightly firm when removed from the oil, as they will finish cooking in the sauce and absorb some of its flavour.
Move the casserole, not the fish. Once the hake has been added, avoid stirring with a spoon. Gentle back-and-forth movements help bind the sauce while keeping the pieces of fish intact.
Serve immediately. Hake in cider is at its best straight after cooking, while the fish is still juicy.
Hake in cider in Asturian cuisine
Cider is not only served alongside Asturian food at the table; it is also used as an ingredient in many dishes. Hake in cider combines one of the most highly regarded fish of Cantabrian cuisine with one of Asturias’ most representative products.
The result is a delicately flavoured fish dish in which the cider adds aroma and a slight acidity to the sauce. The potatoes complete the dish and absorb the flavours of the fish and sofrito.
If you would like to discover more dishes, cheeses, desserts and culinary traditions from Asturias, see our guide to the food of Oviedo and Asturias.