For the kale pesto
Blanch the kale leaves in salted water until tender. Refresh in ice water briefly. Chop the leaves finely. Blend with all remaining ingredients in a food processor to create a rough purée. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the dish
Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and sprinkle with salt and pepper, sugar, thyme leaves and olive oil. Leave the tomatoes in a warm oven at 60C/Gas Mark ¼ for approximately 2 hours or until nicely dried, then set aside.
Finely chop the shallot and sweat in olive oil until translucent. Drain the soaked beans and add to the shallots. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently until the beans are just soft. Add salt to season the beans and set aside. Pan fry the hake (skin side down) in a little olive oil until a crispy brown skin has formed. By this time, it should be almost cooked through. Depending on the thickness of the fillets, you can put them in a hot oven until ready, or flip them in the pan and finish on the other
side.
When the fish is almost cooked through, add 10g of butter and a dash of lemon juice to baste the fish for the last 10 seconds in the pan. Blanch the kale in salted water until tender. Heat the beans and stir in the remaining butter and parsley to create a nice sauce coating the beans.
To serve
Pour the beans into a bowl. Drizzle on some kale pesto. Arrange the cooked hake, kale and cherry tomatoes atop the beans and drizzle with olive oil.
Like this? See also:
• Tom Kitchin recipe: Smoked salmon, pea & kale frittata