Smoked butter beans with hake recipe
This nutritious, flavoursome dish is perfect in warm or cold weather

We all need to eat more beans, said Charlie Bigham: they are nutritious and delicious. For this fish recipe, I have used a jar of butter beans, but of course you can prepare dried beans ahead of time if you prefer. Serve with crusty bread and a lightly dressed salad if the weather is warm, or freshly cooked greens if it’s cold.
Ingredients:
- For the beans:
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 2 celery sticks, finely sliced
- 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 400g can of chopped tomatoes
- 200g tomato passata
- 700g jar of large or queen butter beans (Bold Bean Co's are particularly good)
- sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- For the hake:
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 4 x 150-200g hake fillets, or other white fish fillets
- juice of ½ a lemon
- flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
- crusty bread, to serve
Method:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
- Start by making the beans. Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a large shallow casserole, sauté pan or deep frying pan with a lid and fry the onions and celery gently for 10 minutes, or until softened and beginning to brown, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes more, stirring frequently.
- Pour the rest of the oil into the pan and add the paprika. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly.
- Next, add the tomatoes, passata and the beans, with all their liquid. Season with lots of pepper; you shouldn’t need extra salt as the beany liquid will already be fairly salty. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Meanwhile, place a frying pan over a medium- high heat, add the 1½ tbsp of oil and then the fish, skin-side down. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Carefully flip the fish over, add a dash more oil and cook for a further 4 minutes, or until pale golden and almost cooked through.
- Lift the fish gently onto the cooked beans, cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently for a further 4-5 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked: it should be firm but ready to flake into large pieces if prodded.
- Take off the heat, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and the lemon juice, and scatter lots of chopped parsley on top. Serve with crusty bread.
Taken from "Supper With Charlie Bigham: Favourite Food for Family & Friends", published by Octopus at £26. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £20.99 (incl. p&p), call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.
Sign up for The Week's Food & Drink newsletter for recipes, reviews and recommendations.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Critics’ choice: Restaurants worthy of their buzz
feature A fun bistro, a reservation worth the wait, and a modern twist on Mexican dishes
By The Week US Published
-
Film reviews: Snow White, Death of a Unicorn, and The Alto Knights
Feature A makeover for Disney’s first animated feature, greedy humans earn nature’s wrath, and a feud between crime bosses rattles the mob
By The Week US Published
-
Bombs or talks: What’s next in the US-Iran showdown?
Talking Points US gives Tehran a two-month deadline to deal
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Critics’ choice: Restaurants worthy of their buzz
feature A fun bistro, a reservation worth the wait, and a modern twist on Mexican dishes
By The Week US Published
-
Film reviews: Snow White, Death of a Unicorn, and The Alto Knights
Feature A makeover for Disney’s first animated feature, greedy humans earn nature’s wrath, and a feud between crime bosses rattles the mob
By The Week US Published
-
Art review: Jack Whitten: The Messenger
Feature Museum of Modern Art, New York City, through Aug. 2
By The Week US Published
-
Max Allan Collins’ 6 favorite books that feature private detectives
Feature The mystery writer recommends works by Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Book reviews: ‘Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America’ and ‘How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, 1978–1998’
Feature A political ‘witch hunt’ and Helen Garner’s journal entries
By The Week US Published
-
Scottish hospitality shines at these 7 hotels
The Week Recommends Sleep well at these lovely inns across Scotland
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
7 ways to drink spectacularly across the United States this spring
The Week Recommends A bar for every springtime occasion
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Following the Tea Horse Road in China
The Week Recommends This network of roads and trails served as vital trading routes
By The Week UK Published