Shellfish With Carrot Ginger Purée Recipes

A DELICIOUS BUT SIMPLE HALIBUT AND CARROT GINGER PUREE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Coat the carrots with a tablespoon of the olive oil and roast in the oven until tender but not browned. It'll take about an hour.
• Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion with a pinch of salt until tender and translucent (about 15 minutes). Add the ginger and cook a few minutes more until ginger is fragrant.
• Add to a food processor or blender the carrots, the onion and ginger mixture, the remaining salt, the turmeric, 1 cup of stock, the orange juice and the maple syrup and puree until smooth. Add additional vegetable stock as necessary to thin the puree. In the end it should be thin enough to be pourable, but not so thin that it's like a carrot soup.
• Place the carrot-ginger puree in a stock pot and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes, adding additional stock if it gets too thick.
• Meanwhile, add ¼ cup of olive oil and the watercress to a blender .Pulse until smooth. Set watercress oil aside for plating.
• Dry the halibut fillets completely and add salt and pepper and a modest sprinkle of paprika to both sides.
• Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to a skillet over high heat. Heat until the oil is shimmering hot but not smoking (this is important to keep the fish from sticking and falling apart when you fry it).
• Add the halibut one or two pieces at a time, leaving a decent amount of space between them. Place the nicest looking side of the halibut onto the grill surface. This will be the presentation side in the end. Press the fillets firmly onto the cooking surface to get a good sear.
• Allow the halibut to sear until you can see the fish is turning opaque and cooked half way up the sides. Most of the cooking occurs on this side. You'll flip the fish only to quickly finish the other. You're going to want to peek at the seared surface. Fight this urge! You need to be patient here. You want a good caramelized sear on the surface. Also, like all proteins, the fish will stick to the pan when you first add it. If you try to flip it, It'll tear apart on you. Wait! After it cooks and caramelizes well, it'll loosen up.
• Flip the fillets and allow them to finish cooking (probably just another minute or two. Remove from the pan and place on a sheet of newsprint or paper towel to absorb the oil.
• To plate: add about a cup of carrot puree to a large bowl or high walled plate. Place a piece of halibut with the caramelized side up in the center of the puree. Garnish with a drizzle of watercress oil and a few watercress leaves.

SHELLFISH WITH CARROT GINGER PURéE

Steps:

• Peel carrots and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.
• In a large saucepan bring 4 cups salted water to a boil and cook carrots until tender, about 7 minutes. Reserve 2 cups cooking liquid and drain carrots in a colander. In a blender purée hot carrots in batches with reserved cooking liquid, gingerroot, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste (use caution when blending hot liquids).
• Scrub clams and mussels, pulling beards from mussels if necessary. Shell shrimp and devein if desired.
• In a heavy 6-quart kettle with a tight-fitting lid boil wine with shallot until wine is reduced by about half. Reduce heat to low and add butter, stirring, and half of carrot purée. Add clams and simmer, covered, over moderate heat, stirring, 5 to 10 minutes, checking them every minute after 5 minutes and transferring them as they open with a slotted spoon to a bowl. (Discard any clams that are unopened after 10 minutes.)
• Add mussels to wine mixture and simmer, covered, stirring, 3 to 8 minutes, checking them every minute after 3 minutes and transferring them as they open with a slotted spoon to bowl. (Discard any mussels that are unopened after 8 minutes.)
• Add shrimp and remaining carrot purée to wine mixture and simmer, uncovered, stirring, until shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Return clams and mussels to kettle and heat, stirring gently, until just heated through.
• Divide shellfish and sauce among 4 bowls and garnish with chives. Serve shellfish with toasts.

CARROT PURéE WITH GINGER AND ORANGE

Steps:

• Cook carrots and 3 tablespoons sugar in large pot of boiling salted water until carrots are very tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well. Return carrots to same pot; stir over medium heat until any excess moisture evaporates.
• Meanwhile, bring orange juice to simmer in heavy, small saucepan over medium heat. Add butter, ginger and orange peel; whisk until butter melts. Whisk in lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Purée half of carrots and half of juice mixture in processor until smooth. Transfer to large bowl. Repeat with remaining carrots and juice mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm carrots in microwave oven on high about 4 minutes or rewarm in saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.)