Ingredients
1 4-kilogram halibut — (110 grams per portion from the large filet)
Halibut brine (recipe below)
Halibut broth (recipe below)
Blanched vegetables and sea vegetables, divided (recipe below)
Nasturtium oil (recipe follows)
Littleneck and Manila clams (preparation recipe below)
Olive oil, as needed
Salt, to taste
Baby nasturtium leaves, for garnishing
Sea purslane, for garnishing
Dill tips, for garnishing
Fennel flowers, for garnishing
Bronze fennel fronds, for garnishing
Sea fennel fronds, for garnishing
Fennel pollen, to taste
Lemon zest, to taste
Method
Transfer the portions of fish into a deep tray.Add the brine and brine for 6 minutes.Drain the deep tray.Pat fish dry with a paper towel.Poach the halibut for 7-10 minutes (depending on the thickness in your broth) at 150 degrees Fahrenheit.Combine the blanched vegetables and sea vegetables in a small saucepan over medium heat.Add a dash of halibut broth and a drizzle of nasturtium oil to the vegetables. Then season with salt and fennel pollen. Set aside.In a separate small pan, gently warm the littleneck and Manila clams in clam juice.In a small saucepan, gently warm 100 grams of halibut broth with a dash of olive oil.Remove the halibut from the broth and pan with the warmed halibut broth and olive oil.To plate: In the center of the plate, spoon the vegetables and sea vegetables, creating a flat circle. Make sure to reserve a few vegetables as garnish.Lay the piece of fish on top and arrange the reserved vegetables around it.Finish by placing the littleneck and Manila clams on top of and around the fish.Add herbs and lemon zest.Add a dessert spoonful of nasturtium oil into a sauce jug, then add the broth.Repeat with the other portions of fish.Once you’re ready to serve, pour the warm halibut broth and nasturtium oil mixture around the fish.Enjoy!
Halibut Brine
Ingredients
500 grams water
50 grams rock salt
Fresh thyme
Fresh garlic
Fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
Method
Add salt and water to a pan.Bring salt and water to a boil in the pan.Add the aromatics to the pan.Leave to cool.
Halibut BROTH
Ingredients
Halibut bones, broken down and rinsed, changing the water every 10 minutes for 1 hour
100 grams grapeseed oil
250 grams carrot, thinly sliced
250 grams celery sticks, thinly sliced
200 grams fennel, thinly sliced
200 grams leeks, thinly sliced
200 grams banana shallots, thinly sliced
250 grams button mushrooms, thinly sliced, divided
8 spring onions, thinly sliced, divided
4 garlic cloves, sliced
8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
375 grams white wine
500 grams chicken stock
500 grams water
Chervil
Parsley
Dill
Coriander seeds
White peppercorns
1 bay leaf
White wine vinegar
Lemon
Shellfish cooking liquid (from cooking littleneck and Manila clams)
Salt, to taste
Method
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat.Add the vegetables and garlic, reserving half the mushrooms and spring onions for later.Season lightly, and sweat them down without any color until tender.Add thyme, rosemary, and white wine and reduce by half.Once reduced by half, add both stocks and bring to a boil.Reduce by half again, then pass the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium saucepan.To finish the broth, add the reserved mushrooms and spring onions and allow to infuse for 5 minutes.Season to taste with the shellfish cooking juices and salt.
Blanched vegetables
Ingredients
2 young zucchinis
2 stalks celery, with the tougher ribs peeled
1 fennel head
1 daikon radish
1 bunch broccolini
1 head kohlrabi
1 Tokyo turnip
1/2 head romanesco
2 patty pan squashes
(feel free to swap out for other in-season vegetables!)
Method
Peel and wash all the vegetables.Fill a pan with seasoned water and bring to a boil.Cut each vegetable into 1/2-inch diamonds.Blanch the vegetables until tender.Refresh in ice water.
SEA VEGETABLES
Ingredients
25 grams sea beans
25 grams sea purslane
Method
Wash, trim, and pick the sea leaves.
Little neck and manila clam preparation
Ingredients
500 grams Manila clams
500 grams littleneck clams
Halibut broth, enough to cover the bottom of the pan
Method
Put the shellfish in a pan on the stove.Once warm, add in enough halibut broth to cover the bottom of the pan, and cover the whole pan with a lid.Steam the shellfish until the shells open up, about 3 minutes.Pour the liquid from the shells into a bowl set over ice to chill immediately.Once chilled, strain through a fine-mesh sieve and a muslin cloth to remove any debris.Remove the meat from the shells.Remove and discard the skirt from the Manila clams and cut the clams on a bias.Transfer to a container with some of the chilled cooking liquid.Remove Manila clams from shells.Transfer to a container with some of the chilled cooking liquid.Set aside until ready to use.
NASTURTIUM OIL
Ingredients
200 grams nasturtiums
300 grams vegetable oil
10 grams sugar
10 grams salt
Method
Combine all the ingredients together and blend in a food processor until the mix resembles a purée.Prepare a bowl over ice. Pass the purée through a fine sieve into the bowl.Allow the liquid to cool.When cool, pour the liquid into a plastic sealed piping bag, hang to allow the water and oil to separate.When the water has drained to the bottom of the bag, cut a small hole and allow the water to be slowly released. Reserve the oil until needed.
NAGE FOR COOKING HALIBUT
Ingredients
500 grams halibut broth from above
10 grams Chardonnay vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Lemon
Parsley
Salt to taste
Method
Layer all the vegetables in a medium saucepan, carrots, onions, celery, and fennel and cover with cold water.Bring to the boil and then add the aromatics, then simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.Add the white wine and bring back to the boil. Remove from the heat. Add slice of lemon and parsley. Place in the fridge to allow to cool and infuse for 24 hours.Pass through a fine sieve.
Yield: Serves 4
Recipe courtesy of Chef Clare Smyth.
This recipe was the inspiration for the poached halibut seen in With Love, Meghan.
Dining and Cooking