Seared Hake for Heaven's Sake!

Darlings,I'll keep this short because I'm not feeling great tonight - so many germs making their way around the snowy northeast right now.This recipe is one of those dishes that is sure to please - a light, sweet, flaky whitefish paired with a silky lemony butter sauce and just a little kick from the red pepper flakes. I usually serve this with a steaming dish of barley, my winter grain of choice.It's also such an easy weeknight meal. It's basically a one pot meal, but the integrity of all the ingredients stay in tact, so you don't end up with a stew-y one pot meal, like most one pot meals are...This maintains the refinement that a whitefish should have.I hope you'll enjoy it! Seared Hake for Heaven's Sake. INGREDIENTSOlive oil1 lb hake16 oz spinach8 oz button mushrooms1 yellow onion, diced6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced1 tbsp dried oregano1 tbsp red pepper flakes12 oz chicken stock2 tbsp butter1 lemon, juicedSaltMETHOD 1. Put olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When oil is warm, add onion and garlic, cook until onion is translucent. Add pepper flakes, oregano and mushrooms.2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.3. Cook mushrooms until they shrink to about 1/3 their original size. Turn heat off and move mushrooms to a warmed bowl.4.  Salt the hake on both sides5. In the same skillet, turn heat to high and sear the hake on both sides (about 3 minutes per side).6. Remove hake and add to the warmed bowl with the mushrooms.7. In the same skillet, add chicken stock and simmer until it reduces to about half. Add butter and lemon juice and stir.8. Add the fish and mushrooms back to the skillet with the pan sauce. Cover with spinach and bake at 325 for 8 minutes.9. Ta-da! You have a one dish, beautiful weeknight meal in just about 30 minutes - but don't you dare call it a 30 minute meal. xoxolcf