Black Cod With Clams Chanterelles And Fregola Food

BLACK COD WITH CLAMS, CHANTERELLES, AND FREGOLA

Steps:

• For the mushroom dashi: Put the shiitake and warm water in a small saucepan and let soften for 10 minutes. Add the soy sauce and mirin and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain.
• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fregola and boil until al dente. Drain.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onion and fennel and sauté until softened and lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the chanterelles and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until they soften and color slightly, about 3 minutes. Keep warm.
• Season the cod with salt and pepper. Heat a cast-iron skillet over moderately high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, put the fish in the skillet, interior side down. Sear until lightly browned in spots, about 2 minutes, then turn and cook until the flesh turns white and begins to flake, about 4 minutes longer.
• While the fish cooks, put the clams in a large pot and add the mushroom dashi. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and steam until the clams open, about 2 minutes. Discard any that fail to open.
• Ladle about 1/4 cup of the clam juices into a small bowl, add the miso, and whisk to blend. Return these juices to the clam pot, then gently stir in the onions, fennel, mushrooms, fregola, and cilantro. Taste and add a bit of lemon juice if desired.
• Divide the clams and vegetables among 4 warm bowls, making a space in the center for the fish. Place a cod fillet in the center of each bowl. Serve immediately.
• Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay or a similarly full-bodied white wine with a silky texture.

FREGOLA WITH CLAMS AND MUSSELS

Steps:

• In a large pot, combine the chicken stock, water, and 1 tablespoon salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• While the pasta is cooking: Heat 1/4 cup of the oil, over medium-high heat, in a large Dutch oven. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the Marsala wine and grape tomatoes, and cook for 1 minute, scraping the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the clams and mussels to the pan. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook until all the shellfish have opened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Discard any unopened shellfish.
• Using tongs, remove the shellfish from the pan and reserve. Drain the pasta and transfer to a large serving bowl. Pour the shellfish cooking liquid over the fregola. Add the remaining olive oil and 1/4 cup of the parsley and toss. Place the reserved shellfish on top of the fregola and garnish with the remaining parsley.

SMOKY CLAMS AND FREGOLA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir 2 tablespoons sea salt into 8 cups cool water. Add clams; let stand 30 minutes, then drain and rinse. Meanwhile, cook fregola in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain; drizzle with oil. Wipe out pot.
• In same pot, heat 1 tablespoon each oil and butter over medium-high. Add garlic and chile; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in wine, 1/2 cup water, clams, sausage, and corn. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, 12 to 16 minutes, transferring clams as they open to a covered bowl. Transfer corn and sausage to bowl once all clams are open. Stir remaining 1 tablespoon butter into broth; keep warm.
• Spoon fregola onto a platter and drizzle with half of warm broth; scatter some cilantro over. Top with clam mixture, then pour remaining broth over. Top with remaining cilantro, and serve with lime wedges and hot sauce.

CLAM AND FREGOLA SOUP

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic, onion and chili pepper, and cook over medium heat 5 minutes. Raise heat to high, and add the steamers, 1 cup water and the wine. Cover pot, and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until clams begin to open.
• Use tongs to remove clams, leaving as much juice as possible in the pot. Add fregola and tomatoes and their juice to the pot, reduce heat to simmer, and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste.
• Cover pot, and simmer 20 minutes, checking occasionally to be sure that not all the liquid has evaporated. If necessary to maintain soupy consistency, add water or bottled clam juice, a quarter cup at a time. After 20 minutes, remove lid and continue to simmer until fregola is tender.
• Meanwhile, pick the meat from the clams and discard the shells. When fregola is tender, stir in the clam meat as well as additional bottled clam juice, if necessary, and serve immediately, garnished with parsley.