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Braised Pacific Halibut with Leeks, Mushrooms, and Clams

by Jay Weinstein

read reviews (8)

The halibut's smooth, buttery texture is accented here by the sharp brininess of the clams. Be sure not to overcook the halibut; its texture is best when the fish is just barely cooked through Serves four.

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oyster mushrooms hen of the woods mushrooms halibut more more

4 oz. (½ cup) unsalted butter
½ lb. oyster or hen of the woods mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
3 large leeks, white and light-green parts only, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups lower-salt chicken broth
4 skinless Pacific halibut fillets (about 4 oz. each)
16 to 24 small clams, such as Manila or littlenecks, scrubbed
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Melt the butter over medium heat in an 11- or 12-inch straight-sided sauté pan with a lid. Add the mushrooms and leeks and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the broth, raise the heat to medium high, and bring to a boil.

Season the halibut with salt and pepper. Nestle the fish and clams among the vegetables in the skillet. Bring the broth back to a boil, cover tightly, and reduce the heat to low. Cook gently until the fish is just cooked through and the clams have opened, about 7 minutes. If all of the clams are not open, remove the fish and the open clams and continue cooking until the remaining clams open, another 2 to 3 minutes. Discard any clams that haven’t opened by this time.

Serve the fish in warmed shallow soup bowls, topped with leeks and mushrooms, surrounded by clams and broth, and sprinkled with chopped parsley.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 480; Fat (g): 28; Fat Calories (kcal): 250; Saturated Fat (g): 15; Protein (g): 40; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 7; Carbohydrates (g): 17; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2.5; Sodium (mg): 460; Cholesterol (mg): 125; Fiber (g): 3;

photo: Scott Phillips

From Fine Cooking 101 , pp. 74

September 3, 2009

user reviews

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by skipp84, 1/15/2012There are many recipes I will try once, some, a few times and others like this one become part of my cooking repetoire. I add a little garlic and white wine as other readers suggested. Substitutions are possible, mussels for the clams, spinach and even broccoli raab for the kale. The broth is great and the dish warrants some crusty bread and a Sauvignon Blanc.

by jquinl, 5/27/2011The times when I can find both fresh Pacific halibut AND littleneck clams in one market are rare, so when I found the clams, I substituted scallops for the halibut. I did a quick sear of the scallops and added them to the cooked clam mixture about 2 minutes before serving. I substituted olive oil for 1/2 of the butter. Served with green salad and a large slice of grilled Italian garlic bread for dunking in the broth. All very good. My husband and I both thought that the broth could benefit from some wine--possibly reduced at the end of the saute--and a bit of herb seasoning, possibly even a pinch of saffron. I would not add any salt, especially if using packaged broth. We will definitely do this again.

by pgeiger, 5/10/2011Wow, this was so good. So light and refreshing. I was really skeptical since there were so few ingredients but it was fabulous. The halibut was so flaky and tender cooked in the broth. I took the advice of others here and cut the butter in half and we didn't miss it.

by JudyLouk, 4/4/2011We didn't add the clams, but included everything else. Excellent, will definitely make it again, especially while halibut is fresh and in season.

by ldlevito, 5/23/2010Amazing meal! Great comfort food. I have made it several times, using different seafoods and sometimes adding in lemongrass. Very easy, doesn't take much effort and maximum impact of flavors!

by HueLien, 12/24/2009I created this dish with littleneck clams only and a mixture of mushrooms because they were what I had in the pantry. I served it over linguine and it was delish. I cut the butter in half and that was plenty to give the broth a sublime richness. Plus, did not feel as guilty slurping it up!

by cdlane25, 12/12/2009Excellent soup for a cold day, served with fresh steamed rice.

by kpesh, 10/12/2009Excellent! Served with a scoop of Jasmine rice!!

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