Mary Berry’s Poached Halibut with Clam and Crème Fraîche Sauce
Mary Berry's sophisticated recipe for halibut with clams in a crème fraîche sauce is the perfect recipe to serve when you want to impress.
Introduction
Halibut is a firm, flavourful white fish – a luxury, like turbot. A less expensive option would be seabass or cod, which would also work well with the clam sauce. Each halibut fillet serves 2 people. Treat clams the same as mussels – if they are open before cooking, throw them away; if they are closed after cooking, throw them away.
Ingredients
| 2 tbsp | olive oil |
| Knob of | butter |
| 4 large | banana shallots, finely chopped |
| 2 | garlic cloves, finely grated |
| 175ml | white wine |
| 2 × 175–200g (6–7oz) | long halibut fillets, skin on |
| 500g (1lb 2oz) | fresh clams in their shells, cleaned and scrubbed |
| juice of ½ lemon | |
| 200g (7oz) | full-fat crème fraîche |
| 3 tbsp | freshly chopped parsley |
| 300g (10½oz) | French green beans |
| ½ | lemon, cut into wedges |
Method
Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet or deep frying pan with a lid over a high heat. Add the shallots and fry for 3–4 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Pour in the wine and bring up to the boil.
Season the halibut fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place them skin-side down in the pan. Cover with a lid and gently poach over a low heat for about 8 minutes until the fish is soft to touch and just cooked. Carefully remove the fish from the pan and place on a warm plate. Cover and set aside to rest while finishing the sauce.
Add the clams to the pan, bring back up to the boil with the lid on for 1 minute, then stir in the lemon juice and crème fraîche. Return to the boil and simmer for 1 minute. Check the seasoning and stir in most of the parsley.
Meanwhile, cook the green beans in boiling salted water for 4 minutes. Drain well.
Divide the sauce between four bowls or plates. Arrange the beans on one side.
Carefully remove the skin from the fish and separate each fillet into two pieces. Place one piece of halibut on top of the clams in each bowl or plate.
Sprinkle with a little extra parsley and garnish with a lemon wedge to serve.
Mary’s Tips: Best made and served. Not suitable for freezing.
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