Happier about Hake
We do purchase salmon on occasion, but it’s pretty expensive down here. The two easiest kinds of fish to get are hake and sole, both of which I used to absolutely hate. Ever heard of hake? I actually had to look it up on the internet to find out what merluza was called in English, and even then I had no clue.
Anyway, it’s this boring white fish that has little flavor of its own and falls apart when you cook it. The only solution I’ve found? Bread it. But we don’t do wheat. So what I do is prepare an egg wash, and then fully coat the fillets into a mixture of some of the following
Ingredients:
Corn/rice flour (I use whatever I have on hand. Corn meal works well, too)
Sesame seeds
Flax seeds
Amaranth seeds (I used the non-puffed kind)
Red pepper flakes
Curry
Herbs (Experiment with what you’ve got on hand)
No, I don’t use all of these ingredients every time. I used just corn meal once, and it made this great, crunchy “breading” for the fillets. Today I made a blend of corn flour, amaranth seeds, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and curry. The seeds are great because they make for a really crunchy coating. Then I grill the fillets on both sides until done. This fish cooks fast, making it a great option for a fast, healthy lunch.
“Breading” the hake fillets has been an excellent way to include this inexpensive fish in our diet without causing me frustration over it falling apart during grilling.
Enjoy!
I’m going to try the mixes, I miss my milanesas a lot!!
Not sure how this would work on beef, but I’ve done something similar on chicken and it’s great. I know of some people that use oats to make milanesas without wheat, but oats still have gluten, so you’re out there. Let me know how it goes!
I bet the first thing you’re gonna crave when you leave Argentina is hake! It’s always the way…and sole too, last I heard it was pretty expensive round these parts
LOL, you’re probably right. We had the leftovers this afternoon for lunch with this great broccoli dish I made, and I have to say, the “breading” was nice and crunchy. Loved it. SO glad I solved the hake mystery!