Hake cigars with saffron yogurt
- Published: 11 Apr 23
- Updated: 25 Mar 24
Nathan Outlaw’s filo-wrapped hake cigars make the perfect starter or nibbles to serve with white wine on a sunny evening. Wrap flaky white fish in crisp filo and serve with saffron and herb yogurt.
Recipe from Fish for Dinner by Nathan Outlaw (Kyle Books £28) and tested by delicious.
You might also love our turmeric-roasted hake with coconut sauce
- Makes 12 (enough to serve 4)
- Hands-on time 1 hour
Ingredients
- 800g hake fillet, skinned and pin-boned
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 12 sheets filo pastry
- 100g unsalted butter, melted
For the filling
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- ½ tsp saffron
- 200ml white wine
- 100g golden or regular raisins
For the yogurt
- 200g full-fat greek yogurt
- 1 tsp saffron
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp chopped mint
- 1 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley
Method
- Put the yogurt, saffron, garlic, lemon zest and juice, mint and parsley in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Set aside or see Make Ahead.
- For the filling, heat the oil in a frying pan and, when hot, add the onions, cumin and coriander and season with salt and pepper. Cook over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes, then add the saffron, white wine and raisins. Cook everything down for roughly 20 minutes until the liquid has reduced to almost nothing and the onions are well stewed. Taste the onions at this point and season if required. Transfer the onion mix to a tray and spread out to cool. Once cool, portion into 12 little piles.
- Heat the oven to 180°C fan/ gas 6. To make the cigar-shape parcels, cut the hake into 12 equal-size strips, similar in size to a fish finger. Season the fish with salt, pepper and almost all the cumin and coriander, saving a good pinch. Take the filo sheets and lay them on a clean, dry work surface. Make sure you keep them covered with a clean, damp cloth, otherwise they’ll dry out and crack when you fold the parcels. One by one, take a filo sheet and lay it in front of you. Brush all over with melted butter using a pastry brush, then dust with a little of the reserved spices (you’ll need to dust all 12 sheets). Lay the second filo sheet on top and repeat, then cut the filo sheets in half crossways to create 2 rectangles.
- Lay a slice of hake on the front of a sheet and spread a portion of the onion mix in an even line, alongside the fish. Bring the sides of the filo up over the fish and onions, then roll the parcel away from you, wrapping it tight and enclosing the ends. Once you have a cigar/spring roll shape, transfer it to a greased or non-stick oven tray, seam-side down. Repeat with the rest.
- Arrange the parcels evenly on the tray, ensuring they’re not touching – use 2 trays if you have to. Just before cooking, brush the parcels with a little more butter and cook for 8 minutes. When the parcels are golden and crisp, allow them to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve 3 of the hake cigars per portion with the saffron yogurt on the side.
- Recipe from April 2023 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 957kcals
- Fat
- 36.7g (16.7g saturated)
- Protein
- 52.3g
- Carbohydrates
- 92.2g (25.9g sugars)
- Fibre
- 6.7g
- Salt
- 1.6g
delicious. tips
Nathan says: “love hake. The chunky flesh is soft when cooked and it’s perfect for getting people into eating fish. However, it needs a little help to get it really tasty – more seasoning than just salt and pepper.”
The yogurt is best made the day before to let the flavours develop properly. Cover and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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