Spanish Cuisine
Merluza al Horno with Potatoes
Merluza al horno is a classic of Spanish home cooking, where delicate white fish fillets are baked on a 'cushion' of paper-thin potato slices. The garlic-parsley oil, penetrating the layers of potatoes and fish, creates an incredibly aromatic sauce that makes the dish surprisingly juicy and balanced. This recipe is stripped of restaurant pretension, offering instead an honest, natural taste and homey comfort, where every detail highlights the freshness of seafood and the quality of simple ingredients.
Dishday
Recipe overview
- Total time
- 1 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Cuisine
- Spanish Cuisine
Nutrition
per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 28 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fiber
- 2.5 g
Step by step
Method
- 01
Preheat the oven to 190°C
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Peel the potatoes and slice them into very thin rounds. Arrange them in the baking dish in an overlapping pattern to create a dense layer, then season lightly with salt and pepper.
- 02
Rinse the hake fillets, pat dry, and cut into portioned pieces
Rinse the hake fillets, pat dry, and cut into portioned pieces. Place the fish on top of the potatoes, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- 03
For the dressing, finely chop the parsley and garlic
For the dressing, finely chop the parsley and garlic. Mix them with olive oil and lemon juice in a small container until uniform.
- 04
Drizzle the prepared dressing evenly over the fish and potatoes
Drizzle the prepared dressing evenly over the fish and potatoes. The liquid should slightly spread through the pan, soaking into the bottom layers.
- 05
Bake the dish in a preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes unt…
Bake the dish in a preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the fish is delicate and cooked through. Add a grill mode for the last 3 minutes for better color if necessary.
Dishday
Useful advice
Cooking tip
For this dish, it is extremely important to slice the potatoes as thinly as possible (about 2-3 mm) — only then will they bake through at the same time as the delicate fish. If using thick slices, parboil them in boiling water for 3 minutes, otherwise they will remain raw inside.
How to serve
Serve the hake directly in the baking dish, garnished with fresh parsley and drizzled with lemon juice. Pairs well with a light vegetable salad or simply a glass of chilled dry white wine.
How to store
Fish is best eaten immediately after preparation, as the fillet may lose its delicate texture and become dry when reheated. Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a day, reheating in the oven covered with foil.
Note
Hake is a lean fish, so do not skimp on extra virgin olive oil when making the dressing: it provides the necessary juiciness and unites all components into a cohesive flavor.
