Spanish · Dinner
Basque Hake Cheeks in Garlic Oil
Hake Cheeks Pil Pil
Basque hake cheeks poached gently in olive oil with garlic and dried chilli, then emulsified by swirling into a glossy yellow gel from the gelatinous skin, served with crusty bread.
$$
10 minsPrep
20 minsCook
30 minsTotal
HardLevel
Nutrition per serving
520Calories
38gProtein
32gFat
18gCarbs
1gSugar
1gFiber
680mgSodium
85mgChol
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Instructions
1
Prep
Pat hake cheeks dry with paper towel. Slice 16 garlic cloves thin, snap 2 guindilla chillies in half, chop parsley, and toast bread slices until golden and crisp.
2
Bloom
Heat 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-low heat. Add sliced garlic and guindilla, cook 4–5 minutes until garlic turns pale gold. Lift garlic and chilli to a small bowl with a slotted spoon.
3
Poach
Lower heat to low and cool oil 90 seconds. Slide hake cheeks in skin-side up, season with salt and pepper. Poach barely below a simmer for 6–7 minutes until just firm to the touch.
4
Build
Lift cheeks to a warm plate. Tilt skillet and swirl warm oil in slow circles off the heat for 3 minutes until it emulsifies into a pale yellow glossy gel.
5
Finish and plate
Slide cheeks back into the emulsion, scatter reserved garlic, guindilla, and parsley over the top. Serve with toasted bread alongside.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 400g (14.1 oz) fresh hake cheeks
- 16 garlic cloves
- 240ml (1 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 dried guindilla chilli
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 10g (small handful) flat-leaf parsley
- 2 slices country bread