Bacon Wrapped Cod with Littleneck Clams

Here is an excerpt and recipe from New Zealand's Fleur's Place, by Graham Warman and Paul Sorrell. "This is a fish restaurant'. says head chef Simon Peacock, 'and if it wasn't for Gavin going out everyday and catching us fish, we wouldn't be in business.' He proceeds to rattle off a list of the fish caught locally, blue cod, moki, monkfish, groper, trumpeter, skate, gurnard, tarahaki, sole, flounder, brill. Sea perch and red cod are taken mainly for smoking, as well as rig and mako shark, which is treated like tuna for its succulent steaks. Most Thursday mornings, Susan Randell of Mean Greens,swings past Fleur's Place with a swag of edible greenery. Each day she picks to order from a wide selection of 'salady things' - fancy lettuce, watercress, rocket, mesclun, mizuna - grown in a 1000 m2 hydroponic greenhouse in Oamaru. Our hallmarks are fresh, locally grown, good quality - Fleur emphasizes that, too. Fleur is the type of customer we seek.' And vice versa." Sounds like someplace I would love to experience and also very familiar to our Homer eateries. 'Local girl Missy Hollows, returned from cooking for the rich and famous overseas, devised this recipe while working at Fleurs Place. It has now become a permanent item on the menu and is regarded as one of the restaurant's signature dishes." Serves 2 Ingredients 4 small fillets of blue cod, skin and bones removed 4 rashers streaky bacon or smoked pork belly 25 ml olive oil 100 ml white wine 150 ml cream 10 New Zealand littleneck clams, washed chopped garden herbs including parsley, chives, chervil. etc Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Lay two cod fillets together for each portion and wrap two slices of streaky bacon around the centres. Place the two portions of bacon wrapped cod filets in an ovenproof frying-pan and drizzle with olive oil. Select a pan that fits the portions snugly. Roast in hot oven until the bacon begins to crisp and the cod is almost cooked. Remove from the oven to the stove top on a moderate heat, deglaze (lift the flavours from the bottom of the pan) with the white wine while the cod is still in the pan. Allow to boil, then add the cream. (this should come halfway up the cod filets.) Add clams. Boil gently until the sauce begins to thicken slightly and the clams open, then add chopped herbs, ground black pepper, and salt. Serve with steamed seasonal vegetables and freshly dug new-season potatoes. Bon appétit!