Cumin-Battered Hake with Preserved Lemon Mayonnaise

Orange Blossom & Honey by John Gregory-Smith

Serves 4

600g hake fillets, cut into long strips
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dry chermoula (page 180) / Ras el hanout / Harissa
Vegetable oil, for shallow frying
150g semolina flour
Sea salt

To serve
200g mayonnaise
1 preserved lemon (page 184), seeds removed, finely chopped
Juice of ½ lemon

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In souks across Morocco, fried fish is sold as a quick snack or take-out option, the classic being fried sardines dusted in a light coating of semolina flour that becomes gloriously dry and crisp once cooked. The wonderfully musty Moroccan cumin flavours the semolina and is always offered as an extra seasoning to add as you eat. Here I give a very traditional coating to hake – or merluza – and serve it with a more modern mayonnaise, flavoured with preserved lemon.

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1.

Place the fish into a shallow dish and season both sides with cumin, paprika, chermoula and a pinch of salt.

2.

Take a wide, deep pan and add enough oil so that it will half-cover the fish. Place over a medium heat. Tip the semolina flour into a shallow dish. Add the fish and coat both sides. Wipe off any excess. Shallow-fry the fish for 3–4 minutes each side, or until cooked through and tender. Transfer to kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.

3.

Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise with the preserved lemon, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Serve with the cooked fish.