Merluza en Salsa Verde — Hake in Spanish Green Sauce

Other Fast With Fish Published June 13, 2026

Merluza en salsa verde is a Basque classic and one of the most elegant things you can do with white fish. Thick hake steaks are gently poached in an emulsion of olive oil, garlic, white wine, and a snowstorm of parsley until the sauce turns glossy and clings to every piece. There is no flour-thickened heaviness here — the silkiness comes from shaking the pan so the fish gelatin and oil emulsify. Tender peas and clams often join the party, making it both delicate and substantial. Serve with bread to mop the green sauce.

A pure fish-day dish, since it leans on both fish and good olive oil. The clams are optional and, being shellfish, are permitted on any fasting day — so you can keep them in even when adapting toward stricter days.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast With Fish (adaptable — see notes)
SERVINGS: 4
TIME: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

- 4 thick hake steaks or fillets (about 700g total)
- Salt
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine
- 1 cup (240ml) fish or vegetable stock
- 1 cup (150g) frozen peas
- 12 fresh clams, scrubbed (optional)
- 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- Crusty bread, to serve

METHOD

1. Season the hake with salt and let it sit while you start the sauce.

2. Heat the olive oil in a wide, shallow pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook gently for 2 minutes until the garlic is soft and just turning golden — do not let it brown.

3. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the white wine, let it bubble for a minute, then add the stock. Stir until smooth and lightly thickened.

4. Add half the parsley. Nestle the hake into the sauce, skin-side down. Tuck the clams (if using) around the fish.

5. Cook over medium-low heat, gently shaking and swirling the pan in a circular motion every minute or so — this emulsifies the sauce. After 4 minutes, carefully turn the fish.

6. Scatter in the peas. Continue cooking and swirling for another 4-5 minutes until the fish is just cooked through, the clams have opened, and the sauce is glossy and slightly thickened.

7. Stir in the remaining parsley off the heat. Discard any unopened clams. Serve with plenty of bread.

NOTES

- The swirl-the-pan technique is what makes salsa verde silky — keep the heat gentle and resist the urge to stir with a spoon, which breaks the emulsion.
- Cod, pollock, or any thick white fish substitutes well for hake.
- The clams add brininess but are entirely optional; since shellfish is permitted on all fasting days, you can include them freely.
- For a no-flour version, skip step 3's flour and rely on the gelatin from the fish and vigorous swirling to thicken.