With sweet and meaty lobster-like flesh, Monkfish is affectionately known as poor mans lobster.
But theres certainly nothing poor about this dish!
Theres a reason monkfish is a firm favourite with fine dining restaurants!
Plating up monkfish – fine dining style!
Monkfish fillets are also thick and hefty like lobster tails.
Its a simple but classic sauce that works with any seafoods.
Itsquick and easyenough for a nice midweek meal, taking 15 minutes (tops) from start to finish.
Monkfish recipe ingredients
Heres what you gotta make this monkfish recipe.
While Ive made this using monkfish, it can be made with any fish suitable for pan-searing.
Also,see herefor the Salmon version of this recipe.
The fish has tough skin and a giant head with a face only a mother could love.
This explains why its always sold as skin-off fillets here!
You may have in the past overlooked monkfish because its not a fish familiar to you.
Well, no more!
Its also a fish thats excellent to do fancy with, because its easy to present attractively.
(My attempt at plating up nicely is shown at the bottom of the post!
The photo below shows where I cut them.
Olive oil This is used to pan-fry the fish.
Its made simply by leaving melted butter in the pan long enough to cook so the taste becomes nutty.
Despite the name it turns more a golden colour.
Suitable, given that brown butter is also referred to asliquid gold its that good!
Garlic and thyme These herbs flavour the butter thats spooned over the fish.
Plating up monkfish – fine dining style!
Ive used an elegant combination of parsley, chervil and chives.
You could use just one of these herbs or even skip herbs altogether.
Its easy even for novice cooks and youll feel like a total pro doing it!
Pea puree acts like a second sauce – so good!
The number of pieces will depend on the size of the fillets you get and how they are cut.
See photo above for how I cut the fillets I had.
Sprinkle the monkfish fillets with salt and pepper on both sides.
Prevent screen from sleeping
Place the thickest pieces of fish into the pan first.
Leave for 1 minute then add the thinner (tail end) pieces.
The butter imparts flavour to the surface of the fish and gives it an extra-rich taste.
Bathing with the hot butter also speeds up and promotes even cooking of the fish.
Baste the monkfish for 2 minutes or or until the internal temperature is 55C/131F.
The butter will begin to smell nutty brown butter!
Herbs:Stir herbs into the butter left in the pan.
Spoon the butter over plated monkfish to serve.See below for plating up suggestion.
This recipe makes a little over one tablespoon of Herb Brown Butter per serving.
It doesnt sound like much, but its all you need.
Brown butter is super-rich!
Its not only 100% butter but also has a richer flavour than plain melted butter.
Monkfish plating up suggestion fine dining style!
You see restaurants taking full advantage of this to present monkfish in all sorts of creative, beautiful ways.
Above is my effort to plate up Monkfish, fine-dining style!
Dark coloured plate, vibrant green pea puree and white Monkfish looks beautiful (I think, anyway!)
Heres how to replicate this:
After resting, slice monkfish into 2.5cm / 1 pieces.
); and
Drizzle with Herb Brown Butter from the pan.
Optional garnish: any combination of dill, parsley, chervil.
)Lemon Herb Risottoor anyrice side or rice salad(non-Asian, Id suggest).
The house renovation is well and truly underway and Dozer is thoroughly confused.
This used to be home…..?
What happened to his favourite room, the pantry??
(It used to be pretty much where he is standing!)
For those playing catch up, Im renovating my house to build my dream kitchen.
It turns out, this whole renovation thing is a little more involved than I expected it to be.
I thought I could live downstairs in the spare room, using the work kitchen.
It turns out, its not really viable.
Something about needing running water and electricity, and not living with jackhammering from 8am every morning.
So Ive moved out temporarily, renting a nearby house!
