Kokotxas de Merluza

Step 1

Place each hake cheek on a clean cutting board and pat dry with paper towels, rubbing gently on all sides to remove excess moisture so they brown properly.

Step 2

Hold each garlic clove with the flat side of a chef's knife and press down hard with the heel of your hand until the clove flattens and the papery skin falls off easily.

Step 3

Finely chop the parsley by stacking the leaves and slicing them crosswise into paper-thin ribbons, about the width of thread, until you have 0.25 cup.

Step 4

Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat and pour in 3 tablespoons of olive oil, then wait until the oil shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, about 90 seconds.

Step 5

Carefully lay the hake cheeks in the hot oil and leave them untouched for 2 minutes until the bottom surface turns golden and pulls away cleanly from the pan.

Step 6

Flip each cheek over and cook the second side for 1.5 minutes until it also looks golden, then carefully slide the cheeks onto a clean plate.

Step 7

Add the 3 flattened garlic cloves to the same skillet and stir constantly for 30 seconds until they smell fragrant and begin to turn light golden at the edges.

Step 8

Pour in 0.5 cup of white wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the stuck-on brown bits from the bottom of the pan, stirring for 15 seconds until the bits dissolve.

Step 9

Pour in 0.5 cup of fish stock, then gently slide the cooked hake cheeks back into the skillet, nestling them among the garlic.

Step 10

Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the cheeks simmer gently without boiling for 4 minutes until the liquid reduces by about half and becomes glossy and thick.

Step 11

Remove the skillet from the heat, scatter the chopped parsley over the top, and gently stir for 5 seconds just to incorporate it without breaking up the delicate cheeks.

Step 12

Divide the hake cheeks between two shallow bowls, spooning the sauce and garlic cloves equally over each portion.