BRILL WITH MUSSELS, COCKLES, CLAMS, ASPARAGUS AND SPRING ONIONS

Big fillets of brill are brilliant for poaching. When pan-fried or grilled, they can become a bit dry but poaching gives you more control. Cooking them in a shellfish stock with clams, cockles and mussels works particularly well. Fresh asparagus gives this dish a real sense of spring. You might like to throw in a few early season peas and broad beans too – and vary the herbs.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 brill fillets, about 200g each, skinned and trimmed

• 12 live mussels, cleaned and beards removed

• 12 live cockles, cleaned

• 12 live clams, cleaned

• 500ml shellfish stock

• 12 asparagus spears

• 8 tbsp cold-pressed extra virgin rapeseed oil

• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar

• 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely shredded

• 2 tsp chopped chervil

• 50g unsalted butter, in pieces

• Cornish sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

To open the molluscs, place a large saucepan (that has a tight-fitting lid) over a medium heat. When it is hot, add the mussels, cockles, clams and 100ml shellfish stock and put the lid on.

Steam for 2 minutes until the shells open; discard any that remain closed. Tip the contents of the pan into a colander set over a bowl to catch the cooking liquor. Strain the saved liquor through a muslinlined sieve into a bowl to get rid of any sand.

Clean the pan, ready to cook the fish. Trim the asparagus and peel the lower end of the stems; set aside ready to cook. To make the dressing, in a small pan, mix 180ml shellfish stock with the extra virgin oil and wine vinegar.

Add the spring onions and chervil and season with salt and pepper. To cook the brill fillets, pour the remaining shellfish stock, including the strained stock from the molluscs, into the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Season the brill fillets, add them to the stock and cook for 4 minutes.

Add the asparagus and molluscs, put the lid on the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Carefully transfer the brill, molluscs and asparagus to a warmed dish; cover and keep warm.

For the sauce, bring the stock to the boil over a high heat and whisk in the butter. Share the asparagus between 4 warm plates.

Place the brill fillets on top and arrange the molluscs around the fish. Spoon over the dressing. Serve with the sauce.