Monkfish With Mashed Potatoes Recipes

GRILLED OR ROASTED MONKFISH WITH BLACK OLIVE SAUCE AND LEMON MASH

Steps:

• In a pestle and mortar or Flavour Shaker, smash up 2 teaspoons of salt with the lemon zest and rosemary and rub this all over the fish fillets. Put the fillets in a dish in the fridge and let them sit there for an hour.
• Now make your black olive sauce by mixing all the ingredients except the vinegar together. You want the sauce to have the consistency of a coarse salsa. Then carefully balance the flavours with the vinegar to taste.
• If you're roasting your monkfish, preheat your oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7 just before the fish comes out of the fridge. Pat the fish dry with some kitchen paper and then pat it with a little olive oil.
• Peel and halve your potatoes. Put them into a pot of salted, boiling water and cook until tender. Then drain and mash up with 6 tablespoons of olive oil and a good swig of milk. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. If you want to get your mash really smooth and creamy you can use a spatula to push the potato through a sieve once or twice. It doesn't make it taste any better but it will make it silky smooth, shiny and lovely. Just depends if you can be bothered, really. If it needs thinning with a little extra milk, feel free.
• To roast the monkfish, heat a large ovenproof frying pan, add a splash of olive oil and fry the fillets in the pan for 2 minutes. Then turn them over and put the pan in your preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.
• To grill, place the the butterflied fillets on a hot griddle pan and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Whichever way you cook it serve the fish and the juices with a good dollop of the mashed potato, the black olive sauce and a little rocket dressed with the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Really, really good.

MONKFISH WITH MASHED POTATOES AND THYME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put potatoes in a saucepan with water to cover. Add a large pinch of salt. Cook potatoes until quite tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and put through a ricer or food mill, or mash with a fork or potato masher. Add butter, milk, a few thyme leaves, and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm in the oven or reheat in a microwave when ready to serve.
• While potatoes cook, or immediately after they are done, put an ovenproof skillet large enough to accommodate monkfish over medium-high heat. After a minute, add the oil, garlic, a couple of thyme sprigs and then fillets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for about a minute, then without turning, transfer to oven.
• Roast until monkfish is cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes depending on its thickness. (It will be tender but still firm when done; a thin-bladed knife will meet consistent light resistance when inserted in its center.) Reheat potatoes if necessary, then serve monkfish browned side up on top of them, garnished with a little more thyme and pan juices.

CLASSIC MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes, cut them into 1-inch cubes and place them in a large pot of boiling salted water. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return them to the pot.
• Meanwhile, heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan until the butter is melted.
• Using a hand held mixer, break the potatoes up and at low speed slowly add the hot milk/butter mixture to make the potatoes very creamy. Add the sour cream, 2 teaspoons of salt and the pepper and whisk to combine. Serve hot.

ROASTED MONKFISH WITH ROUILLE

Steps:

• To make the rouille, in a small saucepan, bring the wine to a simmer and reduce it by half. Set aside. In a food processor, combine the roasted pepper, Tabasco, potato, garlic, salt and pepper and process until almost smooth. Do not over process or the potato will become gummy. Add the olive oil and vinegar in a thin stream while the machine is running, then transfer the mixture to a bowl. Just before serving, heat the reduced wine slightly and beat it into the rouille, drop by drop, to loosen it. Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the whole potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Drain well, cut in half, and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a heavy 12 inch skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium high heat and add half the olive oil. Sear the onion slices until almost charred, pressing them down with the back of a spatula and turning to the other side when blackened.
• Separate the onions into rings and add the garlic and rosemary. Cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Transfer the vegetables to a plate and wipe the pan with a paper towel. Add the remaining olive oil and, again over medium high heat, lightly season and then sear the monkfish tails, turning with tongs to be sure all sides brown evenly. Return the onion mixture to the skillet around the fish and add the potatoes. Season generously with salt and pepper. The fish should not be crowded or it will steam rather than roast. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for about 15 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the potatoes are tender. Serve the rouille on the side.

PAN ROASTED MONKFISH WITH POTATOES AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Begin by removing the outer mottled gray membranes and any dark red portions from the monkfish fillets. On a slight angle, slice the fish into 1/2-inch thick medallions. Using two pieces of wax paper, place a few medallions between the paper and lightly pound them with the flat side of a meat mallet or small heavy saucepan to slightly flatten them.
• In a 4-5 quart saucepan, add the potatoes and enough cold water to cover them by 3 inches, season with salt and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to a gentle boil and cook 10 minutes.
• Trim the root ends and dark green leaves from the leeks. From the greens of one leek, trim any yellow, wilted or bruised parts and reserve them. The other two leek greens can be set aside for another use, like stock. Slice the leek whites and reserved greens in half lengthwise. Rinse layers well under cold water to remove any grit from between the layers. Using one set of leek whites and greens, cut again in half lengthwise. The remaining leek whites cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces. Add all the leeks to the potatoes after they have cooked at a gentle boil for 10 minutes. Cook leeks and potatoes for an additional 10 minutes or until they are tender.
• Reserve 2 cups of the potato/leek cooking liquid. Drain the remaining liquid from the vegetables. Transfer to a blender the leek greens, long pieces of leek whites and two slices of the potato. Add approximately 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and blend until smooth. While the blender is still running, add 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a thin steady stream. Blend until creamy and the sauce is thick enough to lightly coat a spoon. If necessary, add more cooking liquid to get the sauce to that stage. Strain the sauce into a small saucepan, keep warm over low heat.
• In a large skillet over a medium-high flame, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the remaining leeks and potatoes that have been drained and the thyme sprigs to the skillet.
• Season with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown, turning often, for approximately 12 minutes. Remove from heat and cover skillet to keep the mixture warm.
• Sprinkle the monkfish slices with salt and lightly coat them with flour, tap off excess. In a large non-stick skillet over medium flame, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Add as many monkfish slices as possible to fit in a single layer. Cook fish only turning once until golden brown on both sides, approximately 5-7 minutes. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
• Divide the potatoes and leeks among 6 warm dinner plates. Place the monkfish slices on top of the vegetable mixture and spoon the sauce over the fish. Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley and/or chives. Serve immediately.

TAGINE OF MONKFISH

Steps:

• Pound 2 garlic cloves and salt into a smooth paste with a mortar and pestle. Add the cumin, paprika, juice from the lemon, and chopped cilantro and mix until slightly emulsified. This is the chermoula.
• Reserve a little of the chermoula for cooking and rub the rest of it over the monkfish. Cover and leave to marinate in a cool place for 1 hour.
• Par-boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes and then cut them in-half. Thinly slice the remaining garlic cloves. Heat 3-4 tbsp of the olive oil in a heavy pan and stir in the garlic. When the garlic just begins to color, add the tomatoes and cook until just softened.
• Add the peppers to the tomatoes and garlic, together with the remaining chermoula, and add salt and pepper to taste.
• Spread the potatoes over the base of a shallow pan or deep, ridged frying pan. Spoon 3/4 of the tomato and pepper mixture over and place the marinated fish chunks on top with the chermoula you reserved in step #2.
• Spoon the rest of the tomato and pepper mixture over the fish and add the olives. Drizzle a little extra olive oil over the dish and pour in the water.
• Heat until simmering. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.
• Serve with fresh, warm, crusty bread.

ROASTED MONKFISH WITH CHANTERELLES, LEEKS, AND GINGER

Steps:

• Clarify butter:
• In a heavy saucepan melt butter over low heat. Remove pan from heat and let butter stand 3 minutes. Skim froth and strain butter through a sieve lined with a double thickness of rinsed and squeezed cheesecloth into a bowl, leaving milky solids in bottom of pan. Pour clarified butter into a jar or crock and chill, covered. Butter keeps, covered and chilled, indefinitely. When clarified, butter loses about one fourth its original volume.
• Roast monkfish:
• Preheat oven to 475°F.
• In a large bowl of water soak leeks 10 minutes, agitating occasionally to dislodge any sand and letting sand sink to bottom of bowl. Lift leeks out of water with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Peel potatoes and trim if necessary to match diameter of leeks. Cut potatoes crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. In a saucepan of boiling water blanch potatoes 5 minutes and drain.
• Cut half of garlic clove into several slivers and finely chop remaining half. Cut half of gingerroot into several slivers and finely chop remaining half. With a paring knife make several shallow slits in monkfish and insert a sliver of garlic and gingerroot into each.
• Heat a flameproof roasting pan, 13 by 9 by 2 inches, in oven 10 minutes. In heated pan toss together leeks, potatoes, mushrooms, chopped garlic and ginger, salt and pepper to taste, and 2 tablespoons clarified butter. Roast vegetables in middle of oven 15 minutes.
• Heat a 12-inch non-stick skillet over moderately high heat. Pat fish dry and season with white pepper and salt. Add remaining tablespoon butter to skillet and brown fish about 2 minutes on each side. With a slotted spatula transfer fish to a plate. To skillet add Port and soy sauce and on top of stove deglaze over moderately high heat, scraping up any brown bits, 30 seconds. Pour liquid over roasted vegetables, tossing to coat, and arrange fish on top. Roast fish and vegetables in middle of oven 15 to 18 minutes, or until fish is just cooked through (fish will be firm rather than flaky).
• Garnish fish with chives. Cut fish crosswise into slices and serve with vegetables.

COD AND MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• To prepare the potatoes, place them in a large heavy pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, peel potatoes and mash in a bowl with butter, milk, salt, pepper and chives. Cover with foil and keep warm in a low oven.
• Prepare the sauce. In a saucepan warm the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and saute until onion caramelizes, turning light golden, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and tomatoes and saute until liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook until sauce reduces by half. Add chicken broth and bouquet garni, then simmer on low heat uncovered for 20 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Cover and remove from heat.
• If desired, cut leeks in half lengthwise, then halve again into quarters. Wash with cold water and dry completely. Heat peanut oil in a large heavy pot or straight-sided saucepan until the oil registers 275 on a deep-fry thermometer (the oil should not be so hot that it is close to smoking). Fry leeks a few at a time, until golden brown, about 5 minutes a batch. Remove with slotted spoon to drain on paper towels or paper bags.
• To cook fish, heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan, preferably nonstick, over medium. Season fish with salt and pepper and fry 3 minutes a side, turning once. Remove from heat.
• Reheat sauce over medium heat until hot. Remove bouquet garni. To serve, mound mashed potatoes on platter, top with fish fillets, sauce and leeks.

MONKFISH PROVINCIAL

Steps:

• In a resealable plastic bag, mix the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, and flour. Place the monkfish in the bag, seal, and shake to lightly coat.
• Heat the oil and melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Place the monkfish in the skillet, and cook for about 3 minutes. Mix in the garlic, tomato, and mushrooms, and continue cooking 3 minutes. Mix in the wine and parsley. Continue to cook and stir 2 minutes, or until the monkfish flakes easily with a fork.