Crispy Coconut Hake with Creamy Lemon Butter

When you’ve been busy all day and you’re too tired to prepare dinner, the easy way out is to buy take-aways. But today we are going to show you how quick it is to prepare a healthy plate of food on such days!

Put it on the table – Crispy Coconut Hake:

We always have a pack of frozen I&J Deep Water Hake in our freezer. This fish can be cooked in several ways, here is our favourite recipe. Let’s start with the fish and while that’s in the oven, we’ll prepare the delicious sauce.

Ingredients for Crispy Coconut Hake

500g I&J Hake (or any firm white fish fillet, skinned and boned)

1 large egg

40g (1/3 cup) ground almonds/almond flour

40g (½ cup) desiccated or shredded coconut

2.5ml (½ tsp) crushed garlic flakes

pinch of paprika

salt and white pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F and line a baking tray with baking paper or foil (if you use foil, grease it with butter/oil).

Beat the egg and pour into a shallow bowl. Mix all the dry ingredients and place in a separate bowl.

Dip the hake pieces into the egg first, covering completely and letting the excess drip off, before dipping them in the dry mixture, rolling to coat.

Dip the hake pieces into the egg and then into the dry coating

Place coated pieces in a single layer on the baking tray. Drizzle with coconut oil and bake for 10 minutes, before gently turning it over and baking for another 10 minutes (if fish is frozen).

(Note: Before coating the frozen pieces of fish, we soaked them in cold water for 5 minutes. This way, you prevent the coating from burning because it doesn’t have to bake for so long.)

Coated hake pieces ready for the oven

Put it on the table – Creamy Lemon Butter Sauce:

Now we’re going to quickly make the sauce – which literally only takes 5 minutes.

Ingredients for Creamy Lemon Butter Sauce

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

2 spring onions, white bits finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

½ cup cream

2 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and white pepper

Chopped spring onions and garlic

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the spring onions and garlic. Cook on low heat until soft.

Cook the spring onions and garlic in oil

Add the butter and let it melt slightly. Add the cream and stir until it just starts to bubble.

Add the butter and then the cream

Take it off the heat when it starts to bubble

Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the lemon juice. Stir until well combined. Add salt and pepper and serve warm.

Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper

We steamed a packet of freshly chopped vegetables to serve with the fish. And voila, there’s a healthy plate of food that takes minimal time to prepare!

Healthy dinner in no time