I love this one-tray dinner; it feels elegant but easy, and worthy of both a midweek meal and if you are entertaining. The punchy anchovy and garlic butter does all the hard work, and gives the impression of more effort than was actually exerted. But what to serve it with, I hear you ask? Well, it wouldn’t be out of place with creamy mashed potato, buttery polenta or a salad. Just make sure to baste the fish halfway through cooking, to get all the flavour and juices back into it.
Roast hake with caper anchovy butter
Prep 10 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4
2 garlic cloves, peeled
5 anchovies
4 tbsp capers
½ bunch chives
1 lemon
90g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Sea salt and black pepper
250g sweet heart cabbage, or other greens
2 onions, peeled and halved
2 tbsp olive oil
4 150g hake or cod fillets, skinned and, if need be, pin-boned
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Put the garlic cloves in a mini chopper with the anchovies and half the capers, then tear in most of the chives. Blitz until finely chopped (you can also do this by hand or in a mortar). Finely grate in the zest of the lemon, add the butter and season well, then blitz smooth (if need be, you can do this ahead of time and store the butter in the fridge).
Trim the base of the cabbage, cut out and discard the core, then finely shred the cabbage. Finely slice the halved onions. Place the cabbage and onions in a large roasting tray, squeeze over the juice of half the lemon, add the olive oil, season generously and toss to coat. Spread out the mix into an even layer, then lay the fish fillets on top and evenly spoon on some of the caper butter; dot any remaining butter over the cabbage mixture. Cut the remaining lemon half into fine slices, nestle these among the fish and cabbage, then scatter over the remaining two tablespoons of capers.
Roast for 16-20 minutes, basting everything with the buttery juices halfway through, until the fish is tender and the cabbage a little charred. Finely chop the remaining chives, scatter on top and serve.
