This dish really didn’t have the most favorable beginnings. I was planning on cooking the leeks and prosciutto on the little portable gas stove that I picked up, and the fish wrapped in foil on the BBQ. I would then use the BBQ to keep the leeks hot, whilst I made a quick sauce with some butter, white wine, shallots and thyme. Unfortunately before I even got the BBQ really hot, the gas can for it ran out. Joy! So, what to do? Well, I had already started cooking the leeks, so I figured I might as well bash something together.

I knew that the sauce was going to be out the door for a start.. It would have been really hard to keep anything warm for that long when the temperature outside was in the 40′s. I kept the lid on the BBQ, trying to keep as much heat in as possible, hopefully just enough to keep the leeks warm whilst I would have to cook the fish on the stove. Well, it all worked out bloody amazing in the end, the fish was fantastic, and the leek mixture a really great surprise – rich and very tasty.

I haven’t cooked turbot in a long time, certainly not since moving to the US. This is a really great fish – very delicate, a buttery texture and flavor, a fantastic white color too – equals that of a good sea bass in color. I picked this up at Whole Foods in Bellevue. Since this fish is pretty delicate, I knew that cooking it straight on the BBQ rack would be too much for it – it was sans skin as well, so that would have made it almost impossible. The plan was to wrap it in foil, and let it cook more gently on the BBQ. Well, once the gas went out to that, I knew that I had to cook it in a pan. Thankfully, this little portable stove was so rubbish (or maybe that is running out of gas too..) it wasn’t powerful enough to get a strong sear on the fish, and cook it quickly. The little bit of color that you see on the fish is it! So, with it being so cold outside, the fish was having a problem cooking. I decided the best thing would be to put the lid on the pan a bit, and try and keep the heat in. What resulted was quite a bit of steam, so the fish pretty much steamed itself cooked, with just a gentle sear on one side. If you have never steamed fish before, I highly recommend it, it turns just about any fish into a really delicate centerpiece, and it certainly worked well for this turbot.

The leek mixture was a real surprise too. I love cooking with leeks in the winter, they are just bursting with flavor, and have a richness to them, without being rich (if that makes sense). Some slight fatiness is added to the leeks by the way of prosciutto. White wine and thyme just finish the dish with a nice aromatic quality.

So in the end, I cooked the leeks first, then covered that pan with foil, and put in the BBQ to try and stay warm. I then cooked the fish in a different pan. After the fish was done, I put the leeks back on the heat to quickly get back to temperature, then everything was severed ASAP.

Turbot, Leeks, Prosciutto, Thyme

2 good sized leeks

4 slices of prosciutto

10 stalks of thyme, leaves removed, stems discarded

1/2 glass of white wine

3/4lb of turbot fillet

butter

Cut the top and tail off the leeks, and peel off the outer layer. Wash really well – a lot of dirt can sit in the leek layers. Using a sharp knive, cut a slit down the length of the leek, going all the way to the center, but not all the way through. Now slice the leek across into 1″ slices. You can narrow off the slices a bit as you get the green section. If the end of the leek looks tough, just discard that. The slit that we first cut means that each leek slice will open up in the pan easily, allowing each ring to cook evenly.

Slice up the prosciutto in 2″ slices. Tear it if you like too. Coarsely chop the thyme. Sprinkle the turbot with a little salt and pepper.

In a medium pan over a medium heat add 1tbls of butter and 1tbls of olive oil (add when the pan is hot). When the fat is up the temperature (the oil moves around easily, and the butter is gently fizzing) throw in the leeks, and the thyme.

Set up your steamer. If you are using a bamboo steamer (highly recommended) put about 2″ of water in the bottom of a wok, and put the steamer on top. Put the fish in the steamer. Pop on the lid, and crank up the heat. My estimation is this will take about 10 minutes to steam properly, depending on the thickness of your fillet. You know it is done when it is really flaky, but not dry.

Stir your leeks, making sure they are cooking evenly, but not browning. Add more butter if required. Throw in the prosciutto. Cook until the prosciutto has lost its transparent look. Now turn up the heat, and bung in the wine. Let this cook down a bit, but not until completely dry. Season with salt and pepper.

When the fish is done, divide the leeks between two plates, and put the fish on top.