Baked turbot with clams

So, at first, the turbot is a fish that many give a lot of respect by helping out and preparing in the kitchen, but in reality it is very “grateful” and we can enjoy it at the table with basic and simple recipes. In my land in Galicia it is very typical to cook it on the days of celebration at home, buying a good wild specimen, to give yourself a good tribute that day. On the other hand, its breeding in aquaculture is very widespread, and we can find it in fishmongers throughout the year.

You will see pieces of ration, between 300-350 gr., And others of medium and large size. In today’s recipe, as there were 4 of us, I bought a 1.5 kg turbot that I ordered in advance. This came from the Gran Sol area, on the coasts of Great Britain, also wild but cheaper than those that come from the Rías de Galicia. Tell the fishmonger to prepare it for you to bake. It will remove the viscera, the gills, the lateral fins and also some transversal cuts, up to the central spine. In this way, later it will be easier for us to serve it at the table, since the portions are already divided.

To take note with this dish, I have accompanied the turbot with some Galician clams , a touch of quality and that makes this dish one of my favorites when there is something to celebrate at home. It also fits you perfectly for Christmas menus. In the market we will find several varieties of clam, from the fine and the slug, of great quality and high price; Even the cheapest, the blonde and the Japanese. Being a special day, I have opted for some slimy clams from the Ría de Arousa (Pontevedra), with excellent flavor. Anyway, adapt the recipe to your pocket, using the Japanese clam, which is the cheapest.

Preparation of baked turbot with clams

1. We will put the clams to soak at least a couple of hours before cooking, since then it is quite unpleasant to bump into the sand when eating them. We will add a handful of coarse salt, and change the water 2-3 times. I recommend you buy them as fresh as possible and cook them the same day, to take full advantage of their quality and authentic sea flavor.
2. We are going to cook the turbot directly on the metal tray of the oven, so you will have to have it cleaned beforehand. We grease it with oil in the base, where the food will go later.
3. Peel the potatoes and cut them in bakery (widthwise), into slices. We also cut the onion into thin slices. We fry the potatoes in very hot oil for 5 min so that they are halfway, and then they are just done in the oven. We reserve on absorbent kitchen paper, so that they release the excess oil.
4. We preheat the oven, 10 minutes at 200º C.
5. Finely chop the garlic and parsley. In a bowl, mix them together with 5 tablespoons of olive oil. This will be the dressing for the turbot. We let it marinate until later use.
6. On the baking sheet, we put a potato base and salt. Above, the sliced ​​onion, which we also lightly salt and water with a good splash of extra virgin olive oil. The logical thing is that you make this base of the approximate size of the fish, so that it is covered during baking.
7. We place on this base the fish (with the white part down), which we have previously salted to taste, and water it all with the glass of white wine. There should be liquid in the tray, so the turbot will not dry out and will cook with the aroma and flavor of the wine.
8. We place in the central part of the oven, and cook 25 minutes at 180º C. The usual calculation is 20 minutes for a piece of 1 Kg., And go up a little depending on the total weight. For example, if we have a 2 kg turbot, we would have it in the oven for about 30 minutes.
9. In a separate pot, pour half a glass of water, add the clams and put on a high heat. In just 2-3 minutes they will be open. We remove them with a slotted spoon and discard those that have not opened.
10. When the total time is 5 minutes away, we open the oven and season the fish with the mixture that we had, distributing evenly. We also place the clams throughout the source. We let cook another 5 minutes and that’s it.

We remove from the oven and bring the tray directly to the table. With a metal slotted spoon or similar, we serve the fish through the cuts previously made, accompanied by the garnish and the clams. There will also be a delicious sauce in the fountain, with the juices of the fish and the wine in harmony.

Be sure to enjoy all the recipes for fish and seafood that we have on the blog, I assure you that you will find a lot of ideas to make yours much happier.