Blooming delicious recipes: Pan-fried hake with salsa verde

Including more fish in your diet is a great way to boost your intake of Omega-3, which supports heart and brain health. This recipe from Trisha Lewis’ demonstration on the Seafood Kitchen stage at Bord Bia Bloom 2025 is a delicious dish to add to your repertoire. 

Serves 2 (as a starter) 

Ingredients:

For the hake 

2 small hake fillets (skin on, approx. 120g each) 

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1 tablesp. olive oil 

Sage leaves 

For the salsa verde 

3 tablesp. flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 

3 tablesp. basil, finely chopped 

3 tablesp. mint, finely chopped 

1 teasp. capers, finely chopped 

2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped 

1 heaped teasp. Dijon mustard 

1 tablesp. white wine vinegar 

3 tablesp. extra virgin olive oil 

Freshly ground black pepper 

Optional: extra olive oil for drizzling 

Method:

Make the salsa verde 

• In a bowl, combine the parsley, basil, mint, capers and anchovies. 

• Stir in the Dijon mustard and white wine vinegar. 

• Whisk in the extra virgin olive oil until combined. 

• Season with black pepper to taste. Adjust with more vinegar or oil if needed. 

• Set aside to allow flavours to develop (can be made ahead and kept chilled). 

Cook the hake 

• Pat the hake fillets dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. 

• Heat olive oil in a non-stick or oven-safe frying pan over medium-high heat. 

• Place hake fillets skin-side down and press gently to prevent curling.  

• Sear for 3–4 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden. 

• Flip the fillets and cook for 1–2 minutes more until just cooked through.  

• Squeeze a little lemon juice over to finish. 

Did you know? 

Oily fish are an important source of Omega-3 fats which are needed for healthy blood and heart health. Include oily fish in your diet up to twice a week. 

Remember to make your mark by always look for the Bord Bia Quality Mark when shopping.