Turbot Recipe

Season and steam the turbot

Pat turbot fillets dry with paper towels. Season both sides lightly with kosher salt and black pepper. Brush the top side with melted butter and sprinkle lemon zest and chopped parsley over them.

Prepare steamer

Bring 1–2 inches of water to a gentle simmer in a large pot fitted with a steamer basket or use a covered sauté pan with a rack. The water should not contact the fish. Add a squeeze of lemon to the water if desired.

Steam

Place fillets in a single layer in the steamer, skin side down. Cover and steam over medium-low heat until the flesh turns opaque and flakes easily, about 6–8 minutes depending on thickness (check at 6 minutes). Internal temperature should reach about 125–130°F (52–54°C) for tender, moist fish.

Rest and finish

Carefully transfer turbot to a warm plate. Spoon any rendered butter from the fish pan over the fillets. Keep warm while finishing other components (cover loosely with foil).

Par-cook potatoes

Slice peeled Yukon Gold potatoes into 1/8" (3 mm) rounds using a mandoline for even thickness. Place slices in salted cold water and bring to a simmer, then cook for 3–4 minutes until just tender but still holding shape. Drain and cool on a kitchen towel in a single layer to remove surface moisture.

Steam clams

In a covered medium saucepan, combine the clams, minced shallot, garlic, and white wine. Cover and steam over medium heat until clams open, about 5–7 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open. Reserve the cooking liquid by straining through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl; set aside 3 tablespoons for the emulsion and retain the opened clams.

Make clam filling

Remove clam meat from half of the opened clams (6 clams) and finely chop the meat. In a small skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat. Add minced shallot and garlic, cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add chopped clams, 2 tablespoons of the reserved clam liquid, heavy cream, chives, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cook gently 1–2 minutes until just combined and slightly reduced. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Assemble demi lune

On a parchment-lined sheet, lay out par-cooked potato rounds in overlapping semicircles (about 5–6 rounds per semi-circle depending on size) to form a half-moon shape. Spoon 1–2 teaspoons of the clam filling along the straight edge of each semicircle. Fold or overlap the potato slices to enclose/partially cover the filling so the shape resembles a demi lune. Brush the tops lightly with melted butter.

Pan-finish

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat with 1 teaspoon butter or oil. Gently transfer demi lune shapes to the skillet, cook 1–2 minutes per side until golden and crisp on the exposed potato surfaces and heated through. Keep warm.

Sweat aromatics

In a small saucepan, warm 1 teaspoon vegetable oil over medium heat. Add finely chopped shallot, diced celery, diced fingerling potato, and sliced leek. Sweat gently until softened but not browned, about 4–5 minutes.

Build broth

Add the reserved clam cooking liquid (about 3 tablespoons reserved earlier) and fish stock or clam broth plus the bay leaf and thyme. Simmer gently until the diced potato is tender, about 8–10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

Blend to emulsion

Add the meat from 6 reserved clams to the saucepan. Using an immersion blender (or transfer to a blender), purée the mixture until very smooth. Return to low heat, stir in heavy cream, and heat through gently—do not boil.

Finish with butter

Off the heat, whisk in the cold cubed butter a few pieces at a time to create a glossy emulsion. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. If the sauce is too thick, thin with a tablespoon or two of warm stock to reach a silky, pourable consistency.

Strain (optional)

For an ultra-smooth emulsion, pass the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan and keep warm over the lowest heat.

To plate, spoon a shallow pool of the chowder emulsion onto each warm plate. Place one potato–clam demi lune on the emulsion, then top with a steamed turbot fillet (skin side down). Spoon a little more emulsion around and over the fish if desired.

Garnish with microgreens or small herb sprigs, a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and a sprinkle of lemon zest. Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.