Merluza a la Gallega | Tender Galician-Style Hake

Peel the potatoes and cut them into slices approx. 1 cm thick. Peel the onion and cut into wedges. Peel the garlic cloves and cut into thin slices. Rinse the fish fillets under cold water, pat dry with paper towels, and season lightly with sea salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 70 °C top/bottom heat to warm the serving plates and keep the poached fish perfectly warm until serving.

Bring plenty of water to a boil in a wide pot, season generously with salt, and add the bay leaves and onion wedges. Add the potato slices and gently simmer over medium heat for about 12–15 minutes until almost tender.

Reduce the heat so the water is just gently simmering. Carefully place the seasoned fish fillets on top of the bed of potatoes in the pot, cover, and let gently poach for about 6–8 minutes until the fish is tender, juicy, and cooked through. Then carefully lift out with a slotted spoon and let rest briefly on a platter in the warm oven.