Spanish · Galicia · main

Merluza a la Gallega con Ajada

Merluza a la Gallega con Ajada reads allium 5.3, sourness 4.4 and smoke 3.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Spanish · Galicia main, about 28 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 3.9 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 2.2 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 4.6 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 4.4 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 3.4 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 5.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Allium 5.3 · Sourness 4.4 · Smoke 3.9 · Salinity 3.6 · Richness 3.2 · Earthy 2.2 · Warm Spice 2.0 · Umami 2.0 · Sweetness 2.0 · Bitterness 1.6 · Herbaceous 1.2 · Marine & Briny 0.9 · Nutty 0.7 · Fruity 0.6 · Citrus 0.5

What's in it (10)

• thick hake steaks — 1000 g
• potatoes — 800 g
• onions — 300 g
• bay leaf — 1 g
• extra virgin olive oil — 110 g
• garlic — 25 g
• spanish smoked paprika — 9 g
• white wine vinegar — 20 g
• water — 1500 g
• salt — 12 g

Time & effort: about 28 min (27 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 17.6 kcal, 0.7 g protein, 0.1 g fat, 3.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (6 steps)

1. Galicia lands the best hake in Europe and treats it with almost nothing: potatoes, onion, and a pour of hot garlic and pimentón oil called ajada. Everything depends on the fish, so buy centre-cut steaks 3 cm thick, from the middle of a big hake, and cook them the day you buy them.
2. Put the potatoes, onion, bay leaf and water in a wide shallow pan with half the salt. Bring to a simmer and cook 15 minutes, until the potatoes are almost done but still firm at the centre.
3. Lay the hake steaks on top of the potatoes in one layer. Reduce the heat so the water barely shivers and poach 8 minutes. The fish is ready when the flesh at the backbone has just turned from glassy to white — press it with a finger and it should part into large flakes. Hake goes from perfect to cottony in about two minutes, so start checking at six.
4. While the fish poaches, make the ajada. Warm the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat and cook the sliced garlic for 3 minutes until it is pale gold, no darker.
5. Take the pan off the heat and wait 30 seconds for the oil to stop sizzling, then stir in the pimentón. This has to be off the heat: pimentón de la Vera is oak-smoked and its sugars scorch in seconds, and burnt pimentón is bitter for the whole dish. Add the vinegar, which will spit, and swirl to combine.
6. Lift the fish and potatoes out with a slotted spoon, drain them well, and arrange on a warm platter. Spoon three tablespoons of the poaching liquid over, then pour the hot ajada across the whole plate. Season with the remaining salt and serve at once.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Black-Eyed Pea and Collard Green Stew — Southern
• Beef and Bean Chimichangas — Tex-Mex
• Kielbasa and Cabbage Stew — Eastern European
• Cajun Vegetable Gumbo with Okra and Tomatoes — Cajun/Creole
• Classic Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs — American · Barbecue

Keep reading: what allium, sourness, smoke mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.