Hake & Chorizo Parcels

📝 Ingredients

• 300 g frozen hake (2 fillets of about 150 g each), thawed in the fridge the day before
• 500 g potatoes (about 3 medium)
• 1 red pepper (about 150 g)
• 40 g mild chorizo, thinly sliced (about 8 slices)
• ½ red onion (about 60 g)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ lemon
• 10 g fresh parsley (about 5 sprigs)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Saucepan
• Colander
• Baking sheet
• Baking paper
• Knife and chopping board
• Kitchen paper

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C and bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Carefully pat the thawed hake dry with kitchen paper: waterlogged fish would make the parcel watery and the juices bland.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin 4 to 5 mm slices. Drop them into the boiling water and par-cook for 6 min: they should still be slightly firm when pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain in the colander.
3. Meanwhile, deseed the pepper and cut it into thin strips, thinly slice the red onion and chop the garlic. Return the drained potatoes to the empty pan and gently toss them with the oil, garlic, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
4. Cut two large sheets of baking paper about 40 cm long. In the centre of each, spread half the potatoes in a layer, then the pepper and onion. Place a hake fillet on top, season with pepper and only a little salt, as the chorizo is already salty.
5. Arrange the chorizo slices on and around the fish: as they cook, they release a paprika-scented oil that colours the potatoes and seasons everything else in the parcel.
6. Bring the edges of the paper together and fold them over several times to seal tightly. Place the parcels on the baking tray and bake for 20 min, until well puffed up.
7. While they cook, chop the parsley and cut the lemon half into two wedges. Open one parcel to check: the hake should be white, opaque and flake easily, and the potatoes tender.
8. Serve the parcels opened on the plates, taking care with the scalding steam. Scatter with parsley and squeeze over a little lemon juice just before eating to liven up the fish.