Ultimate peri-peri sauce with hake

Woolworths is committed to sustainability via our good business journey. Seasonal (and other) products might not always be in stock.

This recipe is easy, versatile and delivers a flavour punch. If you’re braaiing, prepare the veg on the coals for extra smoky flavour.

Ingredients

For the peri-peri sauce:
2 red onions, quartered
2 red peppers, quartered
3 T olive oil
8–10 bird’s-eye chillies, chopped
2 t smoked paprik
3–4 T red wine vinegar
2 limes, zested and juiced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 x 400 g hake fillets
For the salad, toss:
1 fennel bulb, shaved
1 onion, thinly sliced
15 g mint, roughly chopped
For the dressing, mix:
1 lemon, juiced
3 T olive oil
1 t Dijon mustard
2 anchovies fillets, smashed into a paste
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cooking Instructions

1. To make the peri-peri sauce, preheat the oven to 180°C. Drizzle the onions and peppers with 1 T olive oil and roast for 30 minutes.

2. Place in a blender with the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a saucepan and cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste.

3. Baste the fish in the sauce, then cook over medium coals for 5 minutes on each side. Alternatively if you’re cooking on the stove, pan-fry the fish in a smoking-hot ovenproof pan skin-side down in a little olive oil for 3–5 minutes, or until crispy. Finish in the same pan in the oven for 2–3 minutes until the fish is cooked through.

4. Toss the salad with the dressing and serve with the fish and sauce.

Cook's note: Scorching or roasting the vegetables caramelises them, bringing out their natural sweetness and intensifying flavour. Blend the sauce to make sure it’s very smooth. This way it can be used as a basting or a sauce. It also helps the flavours and textures to come together. Add a knob or two of butter to finish the sauce to create a rich, velvety sheen.

Discover more seafood recipes here.

Photograph: Jan Ras
Food assistant: Ellen Schwerdtfeger