Hake

Low FODMAP

Typical portion

Any typical portion Low

Hake is Low FODMAP, a plain white fish that's pure protein and fat with nothing fermentable to trouble you.

Hake carries no FODMAPs because it's essentially protein and fat with negligible carbohydrate, so any typical portion sits comfortably low with no dose to worry about.

Keep it simple with a squeeze of lemon, fresh herbs, or garlic-infused oil rather than a garlic-and-onion sauce that would add FODMAPs to the plate.

Why hake is rated low

Hake is low FODMAP, and that verdict comes from what hake is made of rather than from a weighed portion in a lab: it is muscle, water and fat, with essentially no fermentable carbohydrate in it. The published serving data for this one is qualitative, and it records "Any typical portion" as low, so the fillet itself is not the thing you need to ration on the plate. What decides a hake dinner is everything arriving with it. A crumb or batter coating, a sauce thickened with cream, a stock cube or seasoning blend built on onion and garlic powder: those carry a real load even though the fish underneath carries none. Low here means the fish is quiet, not that the meal is.

What changes your risk

Serving size The data records "Any typical portion" as low, and low is a per serving rating rather than an open door. A very large helping of fish is unlikely to be what upsets a meal, but it is still worth treating the fillet as a portion rather than a freebie.
The sauce, the stock and the rub This is where hake stops being plain. Onion and garlic in a white sauce, a fish stock cube, a bouillon powder or a supermarket seasoning mix can turn a low fillet into a high plate, and the label often lists them well down the ingredients.
Poaching liquid FODMAPs from onion and garlic are water soluble, so they dissolve straight into a court bouillon or braising liquid. Cooking does not destroy them, so a fillet served in that liquid brings them to the table with it. Poaching in plain water with lemon, bay and parsley stalks avoids the problem entirely.
Coating and breading Battered or crumbed hake brings ordinary wheat flour and breadcrumbs along for the ride, and the coating, not the fish, is what changes the rating.
Stacking across the meal Low is measured per serving, not per meal. Hake adds nothing to the total, so the rest of the plate gets the whole allowance: keep an eye on the bread, the side and the sauce together rather than on the fish.

What else works

Plain fish is one of the easiest categories on this diet, so if hake is not at the counter, other plain white fish, plain salmon, prawns, eggs, firm tofu and plain chicken all fill the same centre of the plate. The lookalikes to be careful with are hake in another form rather than hake itself: breaded fish fingers and battered fillets, fish pie and chowder built on milk and cream, ready made fish in a creamy or garlicky sauce, and anything simmered in stock made from a cube. For flavour, garlic infused oil, lemon, chives, the green tops of spring onions and plenty of parsley or dill do the job that a garlic and onion sauce would otherwise do.

How to keep it low

Buy hake as a plain fillet, fresh or frozen, and read the ingredients on anything frozen: the best ones list fish and nothing else, while value packs are often glazed or pre seasoned. Cook it simply, because hake is delicate and does not need much: bake it on a tray with garlic infused oil and lemon, pan fry it skin side down, or poach it in plain water with herbs. When ordering out, grilled or baked hake with a lemon wedge is a far more predictable order than the battered version, and asking for any sauce on the side lets you see what you are getting before it soaks into the fish.

Common questions

is hake low fodmap

Yes. Hake is rated low FODMAP, and the serving data records "Any typical portion" as low. The rating is estimated from what hake is made of, essentially protein, water and fat with no fermentable carbohydrate.

how much hake can i eat on a low fodmap diet

The data does not set a cap for hake: "Any typical portion" is recorded as low. Treat it as a normal portion of fish rather than an unlimited food, and watch the sauce and sides instead.

is breaded hake low fodmap

The fish is, but the coating usually is not. Batter and breadcrumbs are made with ordinary wheat, so breaded or battered hake is a different food from a plain fillet. A gluten free crumb keeps it closer to the plain version.

can i eat hake during the elimination phase

Plain hake is low FODMAP and fits the elimination phase as written. The part that needs attention is how it is cooked, particularly stock cubes, seasoning blends and creamy sauces built on onion and garlic.

Learn more

Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.

Hake is an estimated rating: it is inferred from the food's ingredients and composition and cross-checked, not measured directly in the papers below. The low, moderate and high cutoffs are still those of Varney et al. (2017).

References

Fructan and free fructose content of common Australian vegetables and fruit. Muir et al. (2007), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(16):6619-6627.
Measurement of short-chain carbohydrates in common Australian vegetables and fruits by HPLC. Muir et al. (2009), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57(2):554-565.
Quantification of fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides and other short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals. Biesiekierski et al. (2011), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 24(2):154-176.
Dietary sorbitol and mannitol: food content and distinct absorption patterns. Yao et al. (2014), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 27(Suppl 2):263-275.
FODMAPs: food composition, defining cutoff values and international application. Varney et al. (2017), J. Gastroenterology and Hepatology 32(Suppl 1):53-61. Supplies the low, moderate and high cutoffs used on this page.