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Halibut and Mussels

Pan-fried halibut with mussels, baby leeks, samphire and a lemon cream sauce

A refined seafood dish of pan-fried halibut served over mussels, baby leeks and samphire in a rich lemon cream sauce.

Servings 2

Prep 25 min

Cook 35 min

Total 1 hr

Difficulty Medium

Niki's Notes

This is the sort of dish made for a special occasion. Pan-fried halibut, tender mussels, baby leeks and samphire are brought together with a rich lemon cream sauce, creating something that looks wonderfully impressive without feeling too fussy. And it tastes magnificent!

This is definitely one for a dinner party when you want everyone to think you have been secretly training in a restaurant kitchen. Just accept the compliments gracefully.

Ingredients

Fish and Mussels

340 g Halibut fillet skin removed (approximately 170g each; sea bream or salmon also work well)
300 g Fresh mussel cleaned and debearded
Rapeseed oil (a splash, for frying)
Salt (to season)

Sauce

200 ml White chicken stock
100 ml Double cream
1 Lemon juiced (use to taste)
30 g Unsalted butter
Salt (to season)

Vegetables

4 Baby leek trimmed and rinsed
100 g Samphire

Method

Prepare the seafood

Bring the fish towards room temperature Take the halibut out of the fridge about 20 minutes before cooking so it is not fridge-cold when it goes into the pan.
Fish resting: 20 min
Steam the mussels Pull away the mussel beards and rinse the shells well under cold running water. Heat a lidded saucepan over a medium heat, add the drained mussels with a splash of water, cover and steam just until the shells begin to open.
Mussels: 3 min
180°C (356°F) hob
Pick the mussels Drain the mussels through a colander, keeping the cooking liquor. Once cool enough to handle, remove the mussel meat from the shells and check again for any remaining beards. Cover the meat with the reserved liquor and set aside.

Make the cream sauce

Reduce the stock Pour the chicken stock into a medium saucepan and simmer until reduced by about half.
Stock reduction: 6 min
180°C (356°F) hob
Add the cream Stir in the double cream and continue simmering until the sauce has reduced again and thickened enough to lightly coat a spoon.
Cream reduction: 6 min
Season the sauce Add lemon juice and salt to taste, then keep the sauce to one side until ready to serve.

Cook the vegetables

Blanch the baby leeks Bring a pan of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Trim the tops and bottoms from the baby leeks, rinse them well, then boil for 2 to 3 minutes until soft.
Baby leeks: 2 min 30 sec
100°C (212°F) hob
Refresh the leeks Lift the leeks into iced water to stop them cooking, then drain on kitchen paper. Keep the pan of cooking water for the samphire.
Boil the samphire Near serving time, briefly boil the samphire in the reserved water until tender, then drain and dry on kitchen paper.
Samphire: 1 min 30 sec
100°C (212°F) hob

Cook the halibut

Season the fish Season the halibut lightly with salt just before cooking.
Pan-fry the halibut Heat a frying pan until hot, add a splash of rapeseed oil, then carefully lay in the halibut. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the base is beginning to turn opaque, spooning the hot oil over the fish as it cooks.
First side of halibut: 2 min 30 sec
190°C (374°F) hob
Turn and finish Gently turn the fish over to finish cooking. Add the baby leeks to the pan so they colour on one side.
Second side of halibut: 2 min
Baste and rest Add the unsalted butter and a squeeze of lemon juice to the pan. Baste the fish and leeks, then lift them out, spoon over the pan juices and leave the fish to rest briefly.
Fish resting: 1 min

Serve

Warm the mussels Gently reheat the cream sauce, then add the picked mussels and warm them through without boiling hard.
Mussels in sauce: 1 min 30 sec
150°C (302°F) hob
Plate the dish Divide the mussels and cream sauce between two bowls. Arrange the samphire and baby leeks in the sauce, then place the rested halibut on top and serve straight away.

Recipe from https://thyme-with-niki.uk