Basil-topped hake with bean & rocket salad

Basil-topped hake with bean & rocket salad

Basil is a hero of Italian cooking, and it adds a delicious fresh flavour to these hake fillets. Theyʼre served on a bed of grilled peppers and onions and a generously filling (and basil-infused) salad of cannellini beans, tomato and rocket.

SWK: High protein Plants 5 SWK: High fibre

Serving size

Cook time: 25 mins
Cuisine: Italian
Food group: Fish
Allergens: Fish, Sulphites, Milk

Cooking Instructions

The protein cooking time listed in this recipe has been updated.

As of December 2025, we’ve revised cooking times for all our proteins to reflect improved food safety guidance.

Check out the latest recommended times in our Cooking Guidelines.

Prep & grill the veg

  • Heat your grill to high. Peel the onions and cut each into 6 wedges, then deseed the peppers and dice into roughly 2cm squares. Put the onions and peppers on a baking tray lined with foil, spritz with cooking spray and grill for 5 mins until beginning to soften.

Sort your salad

  • Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a large mixing bowl, combine the vinegar, yogurt and 2 tbsp water. Drain and rinse the beans and halve the tomatoes. Chop half the basil leaves, then add the beans, tomatoes and chopped basil to the dressing. Lightly season, then stir to coat and leave to marinate.

Grill the hake

  • Remove the veg tray from the grill and add the hake. Grate the lemon zest onto the fish, then cover the fillets with the remaining basil leaves. Halve the lemons, then thinly slice 1 half (a whole lemon for 4 portions). Arrange the lemon slices on top of the basil-covered hake. Spritz with cooking spray and grill for another 10-12 mins, until the fish is cooked through and flaking.

Bring it all together

  • Just before serving, add the rocket and squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon (to taste) into the bean salad and toss to coat everything. Serve the salad, grilled onions and peppers topped with the hake fillets.

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