Tagineofmonkfish Recipes

MOROCCAN FISH TAGINE

Steps:

• Mix 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup cilantro, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, ginger, cumin, salt, and saffron in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add cod and mix well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot or tagine. Layer onion rings, carrot matchsticks, and potato slices in the pot in that order. Remove cod from marinade and spread evenly over potatoes. Cover cod with green bell pepper rings and tomato strips. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cilantro on top. Pour marinade over cilantro.
• Cover pot tightly and cook over low heat until potatoes are tender and cod flakes easily with a fork, about 1 hour.

"POOR MAN'S LOBSTER" - MONKFISH WITH HERB BROWNED BUTTER

Steps:

• Cut fillets: Cut each monkfish into 3 or 4 even size pieces. (Note 1)
• Season: Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper.
• Rack for resting: Place a rack over a tray (optional, for resting fish, Note 5)

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, FENNEL, AND CHESTNUT TAGINE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Cut 1 fennel bulb half lengthwise into paper-thin slices with a mandoline or other manual slicer and toss with oil and salt and pepper to taste. Cut remaining fennel lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick sticks.
• Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then cook fennel sticks in 2 batches with salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and edges are golden brown, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon, reserving skillet, and keep warm, covered.
• Halve chestnuts and add to skillet with 1 tablespoon butter and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl with fennel using slotted spoon, reserving skillet, and keep warm, covered.
• Blanch fig leaves in boiling salted water 2 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking and drain well. Trim stems from leaves.
• Pat fish dry and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon butter to skillet and heat over moderately high heat until foam subsides. Sear fish in 2 batches, turning once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes, transferring to a plate.
• Melt remaining tablespoon butter in skillet, then remove skillet from heat. If not using fig leaves, drizzle pieces of fish with butter. If using fig leaves, arrange 1 leaf, smooth side down, on a work surface, then put a piece of fish in middle and drizzle with some of melted butter. Wrap fig leaf around fish to enclose it and secure with wooden toothpicks. Wrap remaining fish in same manner.
• Boil 1/2 cup sauce in skillet until reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 2 minutes. Stir in chestnuts and cooked fennel and transfer to a wide shallow heavy pot (with a tight-fitting lid) just large enough to hold fish in 1 layer. Top chestnut mixture with fish. Cover pot with lid and roast in middle of oven until fish is just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.
• While fish is roasting, heat remaining 1/2 cup sauce in a small saucepan over moderate heat until hot.
• Remove toothpicks and open fig leaves. Serve fish (with fig leaves) over chestnut mixture and scatter with raw fennel. Serve warm sauce on the side.

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.

MONKFISH TERRINE (TERRINE DE LOTTE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut away and discard any very red, nonwhite meat from fillets. There should be about 2 pounds of trimmed fish left.
• Meanwhile, bring court-bouillon to the simmer and add fillets. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until just cooked through. Cooking time will depend on size of fillets. Remove fillets and let stand until thoroughly cool.
• Put eggs in mixing bowl and add tomato paste, Cognac, cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper. Beat with a whisk until thoroughly blended.
• Butter a 7-cup loaf pan using half the butter. Pour about half the egg mixture into the pan and arrange fillets lengthwise in the center. Pour in remaining egg mixture.
• Place loaf pan inside larger pot and pour boiling water around it.
• Grease a rectangle of aluminum foil with remaining butter and place it buttered side down over top of loaf pan. Press down the edges to seal. Bring the water in the pan to the boil on top of the stove, then place in the oven. Bake about 40 minutes or until mixture is almost set. Remove foil covering and let cook about 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top. The internal temperature should be about 160 degrees. Let the pan remain in its water bath. Remove from the oven and let stand 30 minutes.
• Remove loaf pan from water bath and place it on a rack to cool. Chill thoroughly and serve sliced with spinach mayonnaise.

FISH TAGINE WITH SAFFRON & ALMONDS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and cook for a few mins until soft. Meanwhile, put the saffron in the hot stock and leave to steep. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli to the pan and cook for a few mins more. Tip in the spices and tomato purée, stir for a few mins until fragrant, then add the tomatoes, ground almonds, orange zest and juice, honey and saffron-scented stock, making sure that you use all of the saffron strands. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 mins, until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickened a little.
• Add the fish to the pan, making sure the pieces are all nestled under the sauce. Cover with a lid and simmer on a low heat for 2-3 mins until just cooked. Check seasoning, add the coriander and scatter with the toasted almonds. Serve scattered with the chilli, along with some couscous and a blob of natural yogurt, if you like.