Merluza a la romana con mahonesa | Fried battered hake with mayonaise
This is a super popular way of cooking hake in Spanish households and it feels very much like the Spanish version of fish and chips. Lighter in texture and fried in olive oil, those would be the main differences and equally delicious.
INGREDIENTS
1kg hake, cut into slices
4 tbsp plain flour
2 egg
Flaked salt to season
1 litre of light olive oil
FOR THE MAYONAISE
1 egg
1 tsp English mustard
1 pinch of salt
1 squeeze of lemon juice
100ml light olive oil
50ml extra virgin olive oil
Start by making the mayonnaise. Place all the ingredients in a jug and with the help of a hand blender start blending all the ingredients on the bottom. As you see that it is emulsifying, very slowly tilt the hand blender just slightly and start rising it to the top until all the oil has emulsified completely.
Place a saucepan over medium heat, pour the oil and let it warm up until about 180 degrees Celsius. If you don’t have a thermometer, just drop a small crumb of bread and if it starts sizzling immediately after touching the oil that means is ready.
Season the pieces of hake and lightly coat them in the flour. On a separate bowl, whisk the egg and dip the pieces of hake so they fully coat on it.
With the help of a fork or a toothpick, immerse the hake slowly in the oil to make sure it doesn’t splash back your hand and burn yourself. Let it fry for about 3 minutes, depending on the size and pat dry. Season with flake salts.
Serve on a plate, add a dollop of the mayonnaise and a wedge of lemon.
