Ingredients
2 litres of chicken stock
300g pearl barley (thoroughly rinsed)
2 tbsp oil
2 shallots, very finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced or very finely chopped
10g fresh parsley, very finely chopped
130ml white wine
1 lemon, juiced
250g mussels (I like to use the cooked fresh packets)
1 packet of cooking chorizo (around 200g ish), cut into small chunks
300ml double cream
½ tsp smoked sweet paprika
6 tsp olive oil
20g butter
4 Halibut fillets
Salt
Ground white pepper

Method
Put a pan with 1½ litres of the stock on a medium heat and bring to the boil.  Once the stock is boiling put in the pearl barley, stir, bring back to the boil and cook on high heat for around 45 minutes or until cooked.

Into a pot with a lid put 1 tbsp of oil over a medium high heat.  When hot, add the shallots and garlic and cook off until soft, around 3 minutes.  Add the parsley and stir, then add the white wine and the juice of ½ a lemon then bring to the boil.  When boiling, add the 350ml of the stock and bring back to the boil.  Add the mussels and put the lid on.  Cook for 5 minutes, then turn off, stir, put the lid back on and put to one side.

Turn to the chorizo puree.  Put the cooking chorizo, 200ml of the double cream, smoked paprika and ¼ tsp salt into a small saucepan and warm to a simmer, leave for 10 minutes heating through.  Add 150ml of the stock and blend to a smooth consistency and put to one side.

Meanwhile, sieve the mussels, putting the juice into a new saucepan.  Pick the mussel meat out of the shells and put them into the liquid.  Put the remaining cream in and stir.  Put to one side.

When the pearl barley is cooked, drain it and put it into the chorizo cream, you are looking for the consistency of risotto. Warm through on a medium heat.

Put 2 tsp olive oil and the butter into a frying pan over a high heat.  Put the remaining olive oil over both sides of each halibut fillet.  Put the halibut into the hot pan, season with salt and white pepper and cook until golden, for roughly 3-5 minutes per side, remembering to season the other side when you turn.

Warm the mussels over a medium heat, check the seasoning.  This will be a little acidic but it will cut through the rich risotto.

To bring the dish together, put a ladle of risotto in a bowl, top with the halibut and pour the mussel sauce over the top.

Inspired by a dish from the cook along at home from The Man Behind The Curtain