Pan-roasted pollock with lettuce, bacon + clams

Method

1. Season the fish fillets with a little sea salt 2 hours before cooking – this will help to draw out excess water. Keep the clams or cockles in a bowl in the fridge with a damp tea towel over them. Before cooking, place the clams or cockles in a bowl of water under a gently running cold tap for about 10 minutes – this will encourage them to give up their grit.
2. Heat a dessertspoonful of olive oil and a knob of butter in a pan. Add the shallots, garlic and bay leaf, and cook for 2 minutes over a medium heat, until they’re starting to soften. Add the lardons and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring to coat the shallots in the bacon fat. Add the white wine and reduce until it’s mostly evaporated, then add the fish stock and reduce again by almost half (another 8–10 minutes). Add the cream, bring back to the boil and simmer for 2 more minutes. Take off the heat, remove the bay and season with lemon juice. Taste the sauce to make sure it’s to your liking, and add more salt, lemon or cream to your taste.
3. Heat a little bit of oil in a heavy-based frying pan until stinking hot, and add the seasoned pollock fillets. Cook for about 4 minutes, until they’ve formed a nice golden brown crust and come away from the pan easily, then flip them over. Add a knob of butter and some thyme leaves, and cook for another 3–4 minutes. When they’re cooked all the way through, and firm to the touch, transfer to a warm plate and leave to rest under some foil while you cook the clams or cockles.
4. Heat a little bit more oil in the fish pan and add the drained clams or cockles and the lettuce. Put a clear lid over the pan and shake it around a bit, until the clams start to open (about 3 minutes). Transfer the contents of the pan to the shallots, bacon and stock and heat the whole thing up until it’s just boiling, simmering for 1 minute, then stir in the parsley and taste for seasoning. Discard any clams that are still closed.
5. Plate-up the pollock fillets then divide the clam and lettuce sauce between the two plates or bowls. I find it pays to set the table with a spoon when you make this dish, because the sauce is so delicious, you’ll want to eat every last drop. It’s nice served with some buttery potato purée or better still, chips!