Roasted Monkfish With Classic French Lentils Recipes

ROASTED MONKFISH WITH CLASSIC FRENCH LENTILS

Steps:

• For the classic French lentils, heat a sauté pan or a large frying pan and then add the butter and oil. Once hot, add the onion and cook for two minutes. Add the garlic, diced pancetta, carrot, celery, leek and bay leaf and cook for a further two minutes.
• Add the lentils and red wine and bring to the boil. Cook until the volume of wine has reduced by half, then add the stock and cook the lentils for 25-30 minutes. Mix in the sherry vinegar and parsley.
• For the monkfish, season the monkfish fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Heat a frying pan until smoking, add the olive oil and monkfish and cook on each side for 1-2 minutes, or until the crust is golden-brown and the fish is cooked through. Remove from the pan and rest on a warm plate for 2-3 minutes, then thickly slice into four pieces.
• To serve, place a spoonful of the lentils in each of four shallow serving bowls and place the sliced monkfish on top. Garnish with the sliced cooked pancetta and the parsley cress.

MEDALLIONS OF MONKFISH WITH LENTILS

Steps:

• Place the lentils in a bowl, cover with water to a depth of one inch above the lentils and allow to soak for one hour. Drain, rinse twice and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
• Heat the bacon in a heavy saucepan. Add the onion, carrot and celery and saute until tender. Stir in the garlic. Add the lentils and chicken stock. Tie the clove, thyme and bay leaf together with a piece of string and add the bunch. Bring to a simmer. Cover and place in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are just tender. All the liquid will not have been absorbed. Remove the bundle of herbs and set the lentils aside. The recipe can be prepared in advance up until this point.
• Cut the monkfish into medallions about one-inch-thick. You should have 12 to 15 medallions. Season with salt and pepper.
• Shortly before serving, reheat the lentils and beat in the butter a bit at a time. Season with lemon juice, mustard and salt and pepper to taste.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet. Cook the medallions over medium-low heat for about three minutes on each side, until they are just cooked through.
• Spoon some of the lentils in the center of each of four or five warmed plates. Arrange the medallions of fish on them and spoon more of the sauce from the lentils around them. Garnish with parsley and serve.

ROASTED MONKFISH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Season fish with salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Over high heat, cook one side of the fish until golden brown, about 1 minute. Turn, and brown the second side. Add carrot, onion, garlic, wine and fish broth, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer the contents of the skillet to an oven-proof baking dish, and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 5 minutes. Remove the fish to a serving platter and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan, boil the cooking liquid and vegetables over high heat until reduced by half. Stir in the remaining olive oil to bind the sauce.
• Spoon the sauce and vegetables over the fish, and serve with mashed potatoes.

MONKFISH à LA PROVENçALE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment and place eggplant on top. Season with salt to taste and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place in oven on middle rack and roast for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 375 degrees.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy lidded skillet or casserole and add onions and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until just about tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add minced garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add zucchini and roasted eggplant, and stir together. Season generously with salt and pepper and add 1/2 bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon thyme. When vegetables are sizzling, cover pan, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Meanwhile, oil a large baking dish or gratin (large enough to accommodate ratatouille and fish). Season monkfish on both sides with salt and pepper. Make a few slits in the top and insert garlic slices. Place fish in baking dish, rounded side up.
• Sprinkle shallots around fish. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over fish and sprinkle with remaining rosemary and thyme. Break up remaining bay leaf into a few pieces and scatter over fish. Pour wine into baking dish and place in oven for 25 minutes.
• Remove baking dish from oven and carefully transfer fish to the baking sheet you used for the eggplant. Pour off liquid in baking dish and discard.
• Transfer ratatouille to baking dish and place fish on top. Return to oven and bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until fish is completely opaque and can be pulled from the bone. Monkfish won't flake apart like other white-fleshed fish; the texture is similar to cooked lobster. Remove from oven. Remove pieces of bay leaf, then garnish with basil and serve.

MONKFISH ROASTED WITH HERBS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Tie the monkfish fillets with butcher's twine at 2-inch intervals. Season with salt and pepper.
• Line the bottom of an earthenware or other low-sided baking dish with thyme and rosemary sprigs. Tuck bay leaves here and there, if using. Lay the fish on top of the herbs and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Scatter the lemon slices and whole olives over fish. Set aside for 30 minutes to marinate. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
• Meanwhile, make the olive paste: Put pitted black olives, garlic and 1/4 cup olive oil in a small food processor and pulse to a rough paste. (Alternatively, chop olives finely with a knife and stir together with garlic and oil.)
• Roast fish, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned on top and firm to the touch. Check with a paring knife to be sure fish is cooked through. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Snip twine with scissors and remove from fish. Cut fish into 4 portions and spoon some of the roasted lemon slices and whole olives over the top. Dab each piece with a teaspoon of olive paste, or pass olive paste separately.

ROASTED MONKFISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the monkfish, shaking the pan as you add the fish to prevent sticking. Sear the fish on one side until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the oven and roast until opaque and firm to the touch, about 8 minutes.
• Transfer the fish to a warm plate and set aside. Place the skillet over medium heat and add the wine or vermouth and 1/4 cup water, scraping the browned bits from the pan. Add the Chunky Cipolline Tomato Compote to the skillet and cook until heated through.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the compote among 4 dinner plates, arrange a piece of the monkfish over the compote, and serve.

ROASTED MONKFISH WITH CURRIED LENTILS AND BROWNED BUTTER CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• For sauce:
• Bring first 4 ingredients to boil in medium saucepan. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until cauliflower is very tender, about 17 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer mixture to blender; add 3 tablespoons water and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring, and adding more water to thin sauce, if desired.)
• For lentils and browned butter cauliflower:
• Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery; sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Add lentils, curry, and paprika; stir 1 minute. Add 2 1/2 cups water; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Uncover; stir until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, about 2 minutes. Add cauliflower; sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water; cover and cook until cauliflower is crisp-tender and water evaporates, about 3 minutes longer. Stir in lentil mixture. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm before serving.)
• For gremolata:
• Mix parsley and lemon peel in bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• For fish:
• Sprinkle monkfish with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish; sauté until just opaque in center, about 6 minutes per side.
• Divide sauce among 4 plates. Spoon lentil mixture alongside. Place fish atop lentils; sprinkle with gremolata.
• *Available at specialty foods stores and some supermarkets.