Indulgent yet beautifully balanced, this dish lets the delicate sweetness of the seafood shine. Pan-fried hapuka and prawns are paired with steamed shellfish and finished in a silky, butter-rich seafood sauce, lifted with gentle acidity and fresh herbs.
A special thank-you to Sean Connolly, and his head chef, James Laird, for generously sharing this recipe from their event menu at Esther.
Serves 4
200g hapuka
16 large prawn cutlets
16 fresh green lip mussels
16-24 clams or cockles
375ml El Navarrico fish fumet
30ml cream 1 garlic clove, sliced
150ml white wine
100g butter, cubed and chilled
Sal de Añana spring salt
White pepper to taste
Squeeze of lemon juice
Fennel or dill, for garnish
Divide the hapuka into 4 portions, de-vein and clean the prawns, clean the mussel and clam or cockle shells. In a medium-size pot, add the fish fumet. Heat and reduce by half, add the cream, set to a low heat and keep warm.
In a large pot, steam the mussels and clams or cockles in sliced garlic and white wine for 5 minutes or until cooled. Set aside. Pan-fry the hapuka and prawns.
Finish the sauce by bringing back to a simmer and whisking in the butter.
