The Little Piggy

A one bowl dinner that makes use of great seasonal products with a Basque flair.  Serve with fresh baguette or croutons and a hot weather white wine.

Ingredients:

1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 shallot, minced
1 small fennel bulb, finely sliced
1 tbsp, smoked sweet paprika
1 tsp, fennel seeds, roasted and ground
¼ tsp espellette chilli (substitute another red chilli if espellette is unavailable)
1 cup white wine
2 cup seafood stock (sub vegetable or chicken as needed - if using a commercial stock or base, use unsalted butter)
1 cup flour
4 - 5 oz servings of fresh halibut fillets
20 medium butter or manilla clams, rinsed
1 bunch parsley (flat leaf, if possible)
2 cup peas
1/4 cup salted butter
salt and pepper
vegetable oil - for frying

Method:
1. Wash and slice fennel bulb and onion; mince the shallot.
2. Add a small amount of vegetable oil to a medium sized saucepan on high heat, add fennel, red onion and shallot. Sauté until onion is translucent.
3. Add the smoked paprika and fennel, stir
.4. Add the stock and wine, stir and bring to a simmer.
5. Trim any skin and portion halibut.
6. Pour flour on to a plate and season with salt and pepper.
7. Dredge halibut in seasoned flour.
8. In a oven safe frying pan, add 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil, and raise to high heat. Add fillets, and sear until golden brown. Remove from heat and place in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes (depending on thickness of the fillets)
9. Chop parsley and set aside with peas.
10. Add butter and clams to the broth (if you think you have sandy clams, cook seperatly, and add to broth cooked.
11. When the clams start to open, add in the peas and the parsley and simmer until all the clams are open. (discard any clams that haven't opened after approximately five minutes of cooking)
12. Season with salt and pepper, as necceassry
13. Ladle broth and clams into soup plates and place cooked halibut in the centre and serve.