Ingredients

• 1kg/2lb 2oz smoked eel fillets
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 50g/2oz butter
• 16 small new potatoes
• thinly sliced
• 12 baby leeks
• trimmed
• 1 punnet pea shoots
• handful baby watercress leaves
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots
• finely sliced
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 275ml/10fl oz white wine
• 225g/8oz butter
• cut into cubes
• 500g/1lb 2oz clams
• 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives

Directions

• Season the eel with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Heat a frying pan until hot
• add the butter and eel and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes
• or until golden-brown.
• Bring a pan of water to the boil
• place a steamer on top then add the potatoes and leeks and cover with a lid. Steam for 5-7 minutes until just tender.
• Mix the pea shoots and watercress leaves together in a bowl with the olive oil.
• For the clam beurre blanc
• place the shallots
• white wine vinegar and four tablespoons of the white wine in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and reduce the liquid until there is about two tablespoons.
• Add one tablespoon of cold water and continue to cook until there is one tablespoon of liquid.
• Reduce the heat and whisk in the butter
• a cube at a time. Remove the pan from the heat and strain the sauce through a sieve into another saucepan.
• Meanwhile
• heat a frying pan until hot
• add the clams and remaining wine
• cover with a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes until the clams have opened. (Discard any clams that do not open.)
• Remove the pan from the heat and strain the liquid into a bowl.
• Remove the meat from half the clams and add them to the beurre blanc sauce.
• Add a little of the reserved cooking liquor to taste
• then season with salt and black pepper and stir in the chives.
• To serve
• scatter the potatoes and leeks over the plate and top with the eel.
• Scatter the leaves around the plate and drizzle over beurre blanc. Garnish with the remaining cooked clams.