Halibut with peas and purée of peas with spinach

INGREDIENTS

Purée of peas with spinach
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 cups fresh or frozen peas
5 cups spinach leaves
½ cup whipping cream, plus an extra for lightening the sauce

Small sautéed peas
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 cup of fresh peas shelled (about 1 lb of pods)
¼ spoon with sea salt coffee
¼ spoon with coffee of ground black pepper roughly

Pea shoots
4 cups pea shoots
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Fried halibut
4 skinless 150gr halibut fillets
Coarsely ground salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 strands of thyme, leaves only
1 lemon, cut in half with zest reserved for filling
Sea salt, to be sprinkled

PREPARATION

Purée of peas with spinach

1.  Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the shallots and salt and sauté for 3 minutes.
2.  Add the peas, spinach and cream and cook for 1 minute.
3.  Transfer the mixture to a mixer, puree until smooth and filter through a fine-mesh sieve.
4.  If necessary, add up to ½ cup of hot cream to clear the puree (I prefer it rather thick and rich).

1.  Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
2.  Add shallots and sauté for 3 minutes.
3.  Add the peas, season with salt and pepper and cook for another minute until the peas are tender.

1.  In a bowl, mix the pea shoots with the oil and lemon juice.
2.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

1.  Use wipes to dry the fish and salt and pepper.
2.  Heat the oil in a thick pan, going to the oven, over medium-high heat until it is almost smoky.
3.  Gently place the fish in the pan. (If necessary, cook the fish in batches to avoid overcrowding, which will prevent the fish from caramelizing properly.)
4.  Reduce head over medium heat and cook for 2 minutes; a golden crust will have formed on the flesh.
5.  Turn the fillets over and add the butter, thyme and lemon fillet to each fish.
6.  Cook, watering with butter juices, for 2 to 4 minutes or until golden and almost completely opaque.
7.  Transfer the fish to a plate.
8.  To assemble, spread the puree of spinach peas on each plate. Add the small sautéed peas and place the halibut over. Top with dressed pea shoots, lemon zest and sea salt. Serve.

SMARTNESS

Fresh peas are green, grassy and sweet - for me, they represent the taste of spring. As their season is short, I try to make the most of them by cooking them in every way possible. In this dish, they are cooked in a silky puree and sautéed until tender. Then I use their delicate tendrils for a simple salad. It's a spring trio that would be delicious with any fish, but as halibut fishing starts at about the same time as the pea season, I can't resist the idea of bringing these two elements together in one plate.