"Salted fish, and salted hake in particular, reminds me of holidays. It's very popular in southern Europe, where there are hundreds of recipes to choose from. The salting draws out some of the water and improves the fish's flavour and texture, and it's a method that pre-dates refrigeration, when salt was used to preserve food. Esqueixada is a Catalan salad of sorts that's fresh, cooling and utterly delicious."
"Wash the salt off the fish, pat dry on kitchen paper and return to the fridge to chill and firm up for at least two hours, and ideally overnight. Bring a large pan of salted water to a gentle simmer, then drop in the salted hake fillets, making sure they are submerged. Take the pan off the heat and leave the fish to poach in the residual heat for six to eight minutes, until the hake turns opaque and flakes easily. Transfer the fish to a plate and leave to cool at room temperature."
Salted hake involves coating fillets in coarse sea salt to draw out moisture, concentrate flavour and firm the flesh, reflecting a traditional preservation method predating refrigeration. After a short 30-minute cure the salt is rinsed off and the fillets chill in the fridge for at least two hours or overnight. Gentle poaching in off-heat salted water for six to eight minutes yields opaque, flaky hake. Esqueixada combines the flaked salted hake with grated ripe tomatoes, olive oil, white-wine vinegar, parsley, olives, capers and sliced salad onions for a fresh, cooling Catalan salad. Fried hake offers a richer, shareable alternative.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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