Basque Hake & Clams in Salsa Verde

Whenever Basques talk about food—which is pretty much all the time—the conversation always turns to merluza (hake) in salsa verde, perhaps the most iconic dish in the País Vasco. Which restaurant has the most definitive version? Which stall at the fish market offers the freshest merluza, a mild, delicate fish in the cod family? Should you add flour to thicken the parsley-flecked sauce or let the natural gelatin in the fish’s skin do the job?

Line-caught merlu