4. Basque Cuisine
Mom and I share some
Basque heritage. The likelihood is that it comes from her maternal side. From
there, it is a crap shoot whether it is from my great grandmother’s family or
my great grandfather’s. And then again it could come from her paternal grandmother’s
side. We don’t know. We may never know, and that’s okay. We like a good
mystery!
To be sure, the Basque
are a mystery themselves. Established scholarship says they descend from early
farming settlers from the northwestern region of Spain to parts of southwestern
France―from Bordeaux to Bilbao―straddling the Pyrenees and nestled in the Bay of Biscay. And both
bordering and within Basque country there are several forests—all of this
influences a vast and rich mythology which survived the arrival of Christianity
and even the Franco years.
Although geography
allowed them to remain relatively isolated they were not exactly hiding either.
The Romans found met them in the northern Iberian peninsula as far back as 200
B.C. The Basque had been in the area long before. Theories as to their origin
are interesting―from claims that they are the 13th tribe from
Israel to refugees from Atlantis.
One thing has always been
clear. The Basque are different. Their language is one that matches no other.
And while they live in a so-called autonomous region, the politics of it is a
little more complicated, but no matter how you define it, it is unlikely that
the Spaniards will ever truly rule them. The Basque are not prone to submission
as such. They do what they want.
Basque contributions to
the world have included luminaries from Ignatius of Loyola to Pablo Picasso,
from Balenciaga to Saint Francis Xavier to Miguel de Unamuno… But perhaps the
biggest contribution that the Basque have gifted the world is their amazing
cuisine.
Basque country is
blessed with coastal waters leading to the north Atlantic and fertile lands on
her valleys—so the seafood is plentiful and the produce are magnificent. From
Basque tapas (pintxos) to my beloved salt cod a la Vizcaína, to bacalao al
Pil-Pil to the heavenly torrijas (French toast
elevated to an art form).
A
traditional Basque dish, which is easy to make and is also very adaptable
is merluza en salsa verde (hake in a green sauce). You can
have a simple and elegant meal on the plate in 20 minutes!
Hake
is a lean white fish, part of the cod family, and relatively easy to find
(including certified sustainable). You can substitute with fresh cod if whiting
is unavailable. The seafood is lovely, but for my money the sauce is the real
beauty of this dish. Certainly, this green sauce can be found in several dishes
from the region—it is easy to make, very hard to foul up, relatively cheap, and
it feels fancier than its preparation suggests.
Merluza
en Salsa Verde (Basque Hake in
Green Sauce)
2 fresh hake steaks
2-3 garlic cloves,
finely chopped
4 tbsp extra virgin
olive oil
1 tbsp flour (plus extra
for dredging steaks)
½ - ¾ cup fish or
vegetable stock (see note)
1-2 tbsp finely chopped
parsley
Sea salt to taste
Lightly dredge fish
steaks and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of
oil on medium high flame. Cook steaks 2 minutes per side (lightly browned to a
golden hue). Remove fish and set aside.
Add remaining oil and
chopped garlic, one garlic begins to crackle in the pan remove chili (if used),
lower heat to medium low and add flour to pan, stirring constantly, and cook
for about 1 minute.
Gradually add stock to
pan and whisk until you get a smooth and velvety sauce. This may take a couple
of minutes – make sure flour is completely incorporated and there are no lumps
in the sauce. Adjust for seasoning and add salt to taste (a dash will do).
Add the fish steaks to
the pan and cover to heat fish through for about a minute.
At this point, depending
on your personal taste, you may add the parsley over the fish or you can add to
the sauce as you serve (remove fish to plate, add parsley, mix into sauce over
low heat. Pour sauce over fish and serve immediately.
Notes:
1. Hake steaks can be substituted with haddock,
grouper or mahi mahi. Each substitution offers a slightly nuanced change to the
dish but they all work well.
2. Typically the dish can be made with clams,
but shrimp are not an unusual addition. The dish may also contain kokotxas
(pronounces co-co-chas and literally the fish throat—and I realize it may be a
delicacy that some of you can live without).
3. This recipe does not include any heat
element, but you may add white pepper to the garlic as it cooks—this will keep
your sauce silky and smooth with just a little bit of heat. I’ve also seen
recipes include thinly sliced dried chili (which may also be substituted with
dried pepper flakes).
4. You can use ½ cup of stock (fish or
vegetable) plus ¼ cup of white wine (use a good dry). Add the wine first to let
the alcohol evaporate as it cooks.
5. If available, and if you wish, you may add
about ½ pound of clams (buy cleaned, if possible, or soak at least 20 minutes
to expel any sand). Add the clams as you have the sauce at about the right
consistency and let them open over the sauce (remove from pan as soon as they
open). Then add the hake and heat through before serving. The same principle
applies if using shrimp (¼ to ½ pound of small/medium).
6. While this dish can accompany a nest of
cappellini, rice, or couscous; it is also served with potatoes or with bread to
soak up the delicious sauce.
¡Buen provecho!