BLACK COD WITH CLAMS, CHANTERELLES, AND FREGOLA

Black Cod with Clams, Chanterelles, and Fregola image

Also known as sablefish, black cod thrives in the cold waters off the Pacific Coast, from California to Alaska. The fishery is managed sustainably, so many chefs have turned to black cod as a replacement for the more threatened Chilean sea bass. If you have ever had smoked sablefish in a New York delicatessen, you have eaten black cod. It is an oily fish, rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Chef Bruce Hill, who attended the 1998 Workshop, makes it the centerpiece of this inspired East-West seafood stew, which relies on fregola-a toasty, couscous-like Sardinian pasta-for texture and Japanese miso for flavor depth. Dashi is Japanese stock.

Yield serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 16

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Ingredients

3 dried shiitake mushroom caps
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
3/4 cup fregola (Sardinian pasta; see Ingredient Resources, page 193)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1 medium fennel bulb, diced
1/4 pound fresh chanterelle mushrooms, trimmed, cut into roughly 1-inch chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 black cod (sablefish) fillets, skin on, about 4 ounces each
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 dozen (about 1 3/4 pounds) manila clams
1 tablespoon red miso
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)

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.