Corned Hake and Mashed Potatoes

 I'm reminded of the Salt Cod recipe (see blog of that name). That recipe called for vinegared onions and mashed potatoes and fried salt pork cubes, too. And boiling the fish until it flakes. And I really loved that recipe, so I was eager to try the hake. Hake is a new fish for me. A nice white fish, a little more substantial than haddock. 

I was unclear as to the reason to salt the fish and refrigerate for several hours prior to rinsing and cooking the fish in water. But I followed directions. And poached hake is now on my go-to list for fish meals. It cooked up surprisingly quickly, given the thickness of the fish. 

I mashed golden potatoes (they just look so beautiful, love that rich yellow color) and plated them. I laid the cooked hake on top of the mashed potato. I sprinkled vinegared onion rounds on top of the hake, and sprinkled cubed fried salt pork over everything. Then some ground pepper over everything, because, of course, everything tastes better with pepper.

The Resident Archaeologist brought home two new gadgets yesterday. Salt and pepper grinders. They are pretty slick...press the top button, and the salt or pepper grinds and comes out the bottom AND a light comes on, so you can see how much salt or pepper you are delivering to your food. I half expected the gizmo to start singing America the Beautiful. And the gizmo runs on battery. What will they think of next?