Hake is the Rodney Dangerfield of the whitefish world – it’s the fish that just can’t get any respect. At least that has been the story in America, where Hake has been simply sold as whitefish, or more often as “fried fish.”

But that’s not the case in other parts of the world, where Hake is not a name to run from. At the Rock Hotel in Gibraltar, diners can select “Seared Hake with lemon crushed potatoes and leek and black olive velouté.” On the Isle of Guernsey, Hake gets star treatment at the Vazon Bay Hotel, where the menu features “fillet of fresh Hake dusted with flour, sprinkled with paprika and black pepper, grilled, garnished with Norwegian prawns and capers and finished with fresh Guernsey herbs.”  And down on Rio’s most notorious beach, guests at the Ipanema Porto Restaurant can savor Roasted Hake Poveria Style.

Here at Central Market, we're on a mission to show you what high-quality Hake can really taste like, and why this light whitefish should be on your dinner menu this week.  You can treat high-quality Hake as you would good flounder or sole. It’s pretty versatile, but since it’s a lean, delicate fish, stick with safe cooking techniques like sautéing, steaming or poaching.  Hake takes complex sauces well, and it’s great paired with shellfish like coldwater shrimp or mussels. 

We've got hake on special this week, and here's a great recipe that you can try at home tonight!

Hake in a Light Curry Cream
Ingredients
•    1 kg (about 2 1/4 lbs.) hake fillets
•    salt and milled pepper
•    3 cloves garlic, crushed
•    15 ml (1 Tbsp) curry powder
•    8 curry leaves
•    2 ml (about 1/2 tsp) mustard seeds
•    15 ml (1 Tbsp) sunflower oil
•    15 ml (1 Tbsp) butter
•    60 ml (1/4 cup) white wine
•    2 carrots, slivered
•    2 leeks, slivered
•    200 ml (4/5 cup) cream
•    500 g (1.1 lbs.) frozen mussels in the half shell
•    1 lemon, shredded peel

Directions
1.    Sprinkle hake fillets with salt and pepper.
2.    Stir-fry garlic, curry powder, curry leaves and mustard seeds in oil and butter for a few seconds.
3.    Add wine, carrots and leeks.
4.    Stir-fry for 1 to 2 seconds longer, then add cream and mussels. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
5.    Place fillets in an ovenproof dish, pour over sauce, lemon peel, salt and pepper.
6.    Cover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until hake is just cooked but not dry.
Serve with well seasoned brown rice lightly mixed with lentils, and freshly cooked spinach dotted with butter.