Owen's Recipes

1 bunch of green asparagus (8–10 spears) 
1kg fresh thick hake fillet, trimmed, pin-boned and cut into 6 pieces
100g jamón butter
1 large banana shallot, finely diced 
3 large garlic cloves, sliced 
750g palourde clams, rinsed and cleaned 
150ml txakoli white wine (available in good independent wine shops) 
Extra virgin olive oil, for frying and sprinkling 
2 tsp capers, from a jar 
Flour, for dusting 
Zest of 1 lemon 
200g freshly podded peas or frozen peas 
Large handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped 

Trim the woody ends off the asparagus. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the spears for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh in iced water, then chop into 3cm pieces. Set aside. 

Score the skin side of the hake fillets at 2cm intervals, then set aside. 

Heat the jamón butter in a sauté pan or saucepan over a medium heat until melted. Add the shallot and garlic, and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring until softened. When translucent and with the smell of cured ham in the air, turn the heat up to maximum for 20 seconds, then add the clams and wine. Stir, cover with a lid, and cook for 2 minutes.  

In the meantime, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a separate non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Season the hake with salt on each side, then place in the pan, skin-side down, and press with a spatula for the first 10 seconds. Cook for 4 minutes, then turn and cook for another 2 minutes. If you have a probe thermometer, the centre of the fish should register 50ºC. Transfer to a plate to rest.  

Toss the capers in some flour, add them to the empty frying pan and cook for 2 minutes, until crispy. Drain on kitchen paper, then place in a bowl and mix in the lemon zest. Set aside. 

Remove the lid of the clam pan and keep the heat on high to evaporate the wine and clam liquor. After 2 minutes, add the peas and asparagus, then cook for another minute to warm the vegetables through and reduce the liquor even more. The clams should be fully open now. Discard any that aren’t.  

Turn the heat off and stir in the parsley. Dress with a little olive oil. 

Arrange the clams and vegetables on plates, then top with the hake fillets. Add a small spoonful of the caper and lemon zest mix to finish. 

1kg Maris Piper potatoes 
Light olive oil  
For the oven method you will also need: 
   Zest of 1 lemon 
   1 sprig each of rosemary and thyme 
   3 garlic cloves, smashed with the flat of a knife 

For the bravas sauce 

125ml light olive oil  
3 garlic cloves, sliced or crushed 
3 red chillies, diced (seeds intact) 
2–3 bay leaves 
Sprig of thyme, leaves stripped 
1 tsp dry oregano 
1 tbsp hot smoked paprika 
2 Spanish onions, diced  
1 red pepper, seeded and diced 
1 yellow pepper, seeded and diced 
100ml dry white wine 
2 x 400g cans plum or chopped tomatoes 
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

For the sherry alioli 

3 good-quality free-range egg yolks  
3 garlic cloves, crushed 
40ml sherry vinegar 
30ml oloroso sherry  
125ml extra virgin olive oil  
200ml light olive oil or light rapeseed oil  

For the rosemary salt 

Light olive oil, for frying  
4 sprigs of rosemary 
200g sea salt 
1½ tsp mild or hot smoked paprika, depending on personal preference 

Scrub the potatoes clean, or peel them if you prefer. Chop into 2.5cm dice, then rinse and soak in cold water while you make the other elements of this recipe 

To make the bravas sauce, place half the light olive oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat, add the garlic and fry until golden. Stir in the chillies, add the herbs and sizzle for 1 minute. Now add the smoked paprika, onions and peppers, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring regularly so they do not catch or burn.  

Pour in the wine and reduce by half. Add the tomatoes and simmer for at least 45 minutes, or until the volume has halved. Set aside to cool, then transfer to a blender and blitz for 2 minutes, until creamy and smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning. 

The sherry alioli can be made in a food processor if you wish, but we prefer the hand method. Place the egg yolks, garlic, vinegar and sherry in a bowl, add a large pinch of salt and whisk vigorously for a few minutes, until emulsified. Now start adding the oils a drop at a time, whisking continuously so that the mixture does not split. Gradually increase the oil to a slow drizzle, and eventually to a steady flow, whisking until you feel your arm might drop off. Carry on until you have a smooth mayonnaise. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding a little more vinegar if you wish. Store in the fridge until needed. 

To make the rosemary salt, place a little light olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the rosemary and fry for 2 minutes, or until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper, then place in a blender with the salt and smoked paprika and blitz to a fine powder. Stored in an airtight plastic container, this will keep for up to 3 months.  

Drain the potatoes, transfer to a saucepan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until tender (a fork should go in with just a little resistance). Drain and leave to cool and dry in a colander.  

Chuff or shake the potatoes to fluff the edges. We always tell our chefs that the outside of them should resemble the outline of a craggy coast – more opportunity for that gorgeous oil to get into the nooks and crannies and crisp up the flesh. If you can plan ahead, it’s great to chill them at this point, overnight if possible.  

There are two methods of cooking the potatoes, so take your pick… 

Method 1: Fill a deep-fat fryer with light olive oil and heat it to 160ºC. Alternatively, fill a large saucepan one-third full with the oil and heat until a cube of bread browns in 1 minute. Fry the potatoes in this once, for about 5 minutes, until lightly coloured on the outside. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper, leave to cool, then refrigerate overnight or at least until cold. 

When you want to serve, heat the oil to 190ºC, or until a cube of bread browns in 20–30 seconds, then fry the potatoes again until crisp and golden outside but soft and fluffy in the middle. Drain, then season with the rosemary salt.  

Method 2: Preheat the oven to 220ºC/200ºC Fan/Gas mark 7. Add 75ml olive oil to a roasting tray and place in the oven until smoking hot (about 10 minutes). Add your chilled, chuffed potatoes, the lemon zest, rosemary, thyme and garlic and toss well. Roast for about 45 minutes, turning once or twice. Season with the rosemary salt. 

 NOTES 

• The more effort you put into the potatoes, the more you get out. Chilling them right down after boiling and chuffing makes a big difference, as does the variety. Maris Piper, King Edwards and Desirée are the best.
• For the bravas sauce you can increase or reduce the spice level as you want, even omitting the chillies entirely if you like. The sauce can also be used with many other dishes, such as pasta, bakes, chicken and fish.