Cod with Cockles and White Wine

• Recipe by Jose Garces

Chef Way Jose Garces prepares this dish with hake, a relatively hard-to-find cousin of cod. He also uses fresh juice from shucked clams to make the delicious broth.
Easy Way Fresh cod stands in for the hake, and bottled clam juice replaces fresh.

Ingredients

1. Four 6-ounce skinless cod or hake fillets (1 1/4 inch thick)
2. Salt and freshly ground pepper
3. 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5. 2 garlic cloves, minced
6. 1 pound cockles, scrubbed
7. 1/2 cup dry white wine
8. 1/2 cup bottled clam broth
9. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
10. 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
11. Pinch of smoked sweet paprika (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Season the fish with salt and pepper and dust lightly with the flour.
2. In a medium ovenproof skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the fish and cook over high heat until golden on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip the fish. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the fish for about 10 minutes, until the flesh flakes with a fork. Transfer the fish to bowls.
3. Meanwhile, in another large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil until shimmering. Add the garlic and cockles and cook over high heat for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the clam broth and cook, stirring, until the cockles open and the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 7 minutes. Tilt the skillet so the liquid pools to one side. Add the butter to the skillet and swirl until melted. Toss the cockles in the sauce and add the parsley; spoon them over the fish, sprinkle with smoked paprika and serve.