Pan-fried Hake with Warm Bean and Fennel Salad!

Fish is good for you right???? Well, the truth is that not all fish is good for you - if the fish has high mercury levels, was farmed destructively or appears on the red list, it is definitely not good for you or nature. Hake is still on the green list here in South Africa and if you can lay your hands on fresh hake, it still is for me one of the nicest nicest fish to eat.

Quoted from the Green Guide: "Fish provide essential nutrients and fatty acids?especially for developing bodies and brains?and make a perfect protein-filled, lean meal whether grilled, baked, poached or served as sushi. Yet overfishing, habitat loss and declining water quality have wreaked havoc on many fish populations. Furthermore, many are contaminated with brain-damaging mercury and other toxic chemicals. Make sure therefor that you eat fish from the green list and if you must s0metimes off the orange list!!!"

Back to today's recipe......

I wanted something warm and filling to go with the hake, but we had starches 3 nights in a row now and I thought we needed something different. I consider myself to be one of the lucky moms, because my children love beans and I do not have to sneak it into my food just so that they can get the nutritional value thereof. In this case, I think the warm beans salad even stole the show!

Despite their beautiful differences in color and taste, all the legumes have similar nutritional value. A serving (1/3 cup of cooked beans) contains around 80 calories, no cholesterol, lots of complex carbohydrates, and little fat. In addition, beans are a good source of B vitamins, potassium, and fiber, which promotes digestive health, relieves constipation, and may even help prevent colon cancer and reduce blood cholesterol (a leading cause of heart disease).

Pan-Fried Hake with Warm Bean and Fennel Salad
Ingredients

4 pieces of hake - about 200gr each
flour
salt/pepper

Season the fish with salt and pepper and dust with flour. Fry in a little oil until cooked, keep warm!

For the salad

Ingredients

2 cans of 4 bean mix - rinsed
1 fennel bulb, sliced
1 onion - sliced
1 clove of garlic - crushed
fennel leaves chopped
juice of a lemon
olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat about 3 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sweat the onion and garlic until cooked. Add the fennel and toss the pan slightly to coat everything with the oil...add more if needed. When the fennel is just cooked, but still crunchy, add the beans and warm through. Add the chopped fennel leaves and season to taste with the salt/pepper and the lemon juice.

Quick, easy and SO good for you!!!!!