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Instant Pot Hake in Saffron Broth

By Nicole Konstantinakos

Published on May 18, 2022

Time

1 hour

Yield

Serves 4

Instant Pot Hake in Saffron Broth

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra for drizzling1 onion, chopped 4 ounces Spanish-style chorizo sausage, sliced ¼ inch thick4 garlic cloves, minced1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice ¾ cup water ½ cup dry white wine 8 ounces small red potatoes, unpeeled, quartered¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled1 bay leaf 4 (6-ounce) skinless hake fillets, 1½ inches thick½ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Before You Begin

Use small red potatoes measuring 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Cod and haddock are good substitutes for the hake; decrease the time under pressure to 2 minutes in step 2. The hake should register about 135 degrees after cooking; if it doesn't, partially cover the pot with the lid and continue to cook using the highest sauté function until the desired temperature is achieved.

Instructions

  1.  Using highest sauté function, heat 1 tablespoon oil in Instant Pot until shimmering. Add onion and chorizo and cook until onion is softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in clam juice, water, and wine, scraping up any browned bits. Turn off Instant Pot, then stir in potatoes, saffron, and bay leaf.
  2.  Fold sheet of aluminum foil into 16 by 6-inch sling. Brush hake with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange hake skinned side down in center of sling. Using sling, lower hake into Instant Pot on top of potato mixture; allow narrow edges of sling to rest along sides of insert. Lock lid in place and close pressure release valve. Select high pressure cook function and cook for 3 minutes.
  3.  Turn off Instant Pot and quick-release pressure. Carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you. Using sling, transfer hake to large plate. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest while finishing potato mixture.
  4.  Discard bay leaf. Stir parsley into potato mixture and season with salt to taste. Serve cod with potato mixture and broth, drizzling individual portions with extra oil.
Instant Pot Hake in Saffron Broth
Photography by Keller + Keller. Styling by Catrine Kelty.

Instant Pot Hake in Saffron Broth

Save

Time

1 hour

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra for drizzling
1 onion, chopped
4 ounces Spanish-style chorizo sausage, sliced ¼ inch thick
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
¾ cup water
½ cup dry white wine
8 ounces small red potatoes, unpeeled, quartered
¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
1 bay leaf
4 (6-ounce) skinless hake fillets, 1½ inches thick
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra for drizzling
1 onion, chopped
4 ounces Spanish-style chorizo sausage, sliced ¼ inch thick
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
¾ cup water
½ cup dry white wine
8 ounces small red potatoes, unpeeled, quartered
¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
1 bay leaf
4 (6-ounce) skinless hake fillets, 1½ inches thick
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra for drizzling
1 onion, chopped
4 ounces Spanish-style chorizo sausage, sliced ¼ inch thick
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
¾ cup water
½ cup dry white wine
8 ounces small red potatoes, unpeeled, quartered
¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
1 bay leaf
4 (6-ounce) skinless hake fillets, 1½ inches thick
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Why This Recipe Works

Sometimes known as “red gold,” saffron is a common spice in Spanish cooking. It's made from the dried stigmas of crocus sativus flowers; the stigmas are so delicate they must be painstakingly harvested by hand. (It takes about 200 hours to pick enough stigmas to produce just 1 pound of saffron.) Luckily, a little bit of saffron goes a long way. Here, a mere ¼ teaspoon was plenty to perfume our broth, while Spanish-style chorizo, clam juice, and wine added flavors evocative of the northern Spanish coast. We chose mild hake (a favorite in Spain) as our versatile complement—we loved how the simple but still luxurious fish allowed the saffron to take center stage—and added waxy red potatoes that soaked up the savory, vibrantly colored broth.

Before You Begin

Use small red potatoes measuring 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Cod and haddock are good substitutes for the hake; decrease the time under pressure to 2 minutes in step 2. The hake should register about 135 degrees after cooking; if it doesn't, partially cover the pot with the lid and continue to cook using the highest sauté function until the desired temperature is achieved.

Instructions

  1.  Using highest sauté function, heat 1 tablespoon oil in Instant Pot until shimmering. Add onion and chorizo and cook until onion is softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in clam juice, water, and wine, scraping up any browned bits. Turn off Instant Pot, then stir in potatoes, saffron, and bay leaf.
  2.  Fold sheet of aluminum foil into 16 by 6-inch sling. Brush hake with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange hake skinned side down in center of sling. Using sling, lower hake into Instant Pot on top of potato mixture; allow narrow edges of sling to rest along sides of insert. Lock lid in place and close pressure release valve. Select high pressure cook function and cook for 3 minutes.
  3.  Turn off Instant Pot and quick-release pressure. Carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you. Using sling, transfer hake to large plate. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest while finishing potato mixture.
  4.  Discard bay leaf. Stir parsley into potato mixture and season with salt to taste. Serve cod with potato mixture and broth, drizzling individual portions with extra oil.

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