Barbequed John Dory with Cloudy Bay clams, charred cos, heirloom tomato and buttercup

Barbequed John Dory with Cloudy Bay clams, charred cos, heirloom tomato and buttercup

Barbequed John Dory with Cloudy Bay clams, charred cos, heirloom tomato and buttercup Photo: supplied

Serves 2

ingredients
2 fillets of John Dory 130g each, skin off
6 Marlborough Cloudy Bay clams
20g butter
Chopped parsley
Olive oil

400g buttercup, skin on
Sprig thyme
2 crushed garlic cloves
Salt and pepper

50g butter
Olive oil
1 baby cos lettuce, washed

Beurre Noisette / vinaigrette
50ml lemon juice
60ml browned butter
Lemon pieces
Chopped parsley

Heirloom tomatoes
Olive oil
Sprig of basil

Method
First make the beurre noisette (or brown butter vinaigrette) by placing butter in a small pot and heating it until it starts foaming. Then start to stir with a spoon or small whisk until nut brown in colour.

Remove from stove, add lemon juice to stop the cooking process, then pour into a cool small bowl and set aside. Dice lemon flesh and add along with fresh chopped parsley before serving.

Scoop seeds out of the buttercup and season. Top with 50g of butter, thyme and garlic and wrap in foil, place on BBQ or grill for about 20 mins or until soft. Scoop out and mash to a puree in a small pot. Season to taste.

Deseed and dice tomatoes. Squeeze juice out through a sieve, reserve and lightly season, adding a nip of olive oil to the juice.

Lightly oil and season fish fillets, place on BBQ (or grill).
Place live cloudy bay clams on foil sheet with butter and add to BBQ. Cook till open. Any juices collected from foil can be poured into vinaigrette.

Halve or quarter baby cos lettuce depending on size and add to BBQ for final 2 mins, making sure lettuce is lightly blackened on the outside.

Plating
Spoon on buttercup puree, place fish and cos on the plate, and clams along top of puree.
Mix tomato flesh with their juice, olive oil and chopped basil, dress cos with tomatoes.
Dress clams and fish with vinaigrette. Serve