Monkfish - Some background and a recipe

First, there is no such fish as a monkfish. What we refer to as monkfish is in fact Angler Fish or sometimes Angel Shark.

As you can see from the picture above, the angler fish is mostly head, the only commercially valuable part is the tail, although monkfish cheeks are a particular delicacy, they really are difficult to source. Even more difficult to find and highly prized in some cultures are monkfish livers but I don't do offal, from any animal.

Once known as "poor man's lobster", until its elevation by celebrity chefs, monkfish was used to bulk-out chowders and even to create faux-scampi. I remember a time when most monkfish were landed as unwanted bycatch and were sold straight to fishmeal processing. My trawlermen relatives would bring us monk tails and my old fella and me would pickle them in spiced white wine vinegar.

Now my favourite method of cooking monkfish is to wrap in Parma ham or thinly-sliced, dry-cured streaky bacon. Here's my favourite recipe:

 Parma ham wrapped roast monkfish (serves 2)

2 Regis monkfish tail fillets, thawed
6 slices of parma ham, thin-cut pancetta or dry-cured streaky bacon
Fresh sage leaves
Salt & pepper

Spread clingfilm over a chopping board and lay the ham slices on the clingfilm so that they overlap.

Lay one monkfish fillet on the ham and season. Lay the sage leaves on top of the fillet and then place the second fillet on top so that the thick end is on top of the thin end of the bottom fillet and season.

Wrap the ham tightly around the monkfish fillet sandwich and then wrap the whole lot tightly in the clingfilm and regrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up.

Heat the oven to 180c (Gas 5). Place an oiled frying pan over a medium heat and sear on all sides for one minute. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and cook for 10-12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and slice, at an angle, into 6 medallions.

Serve with minted pea mash (use frozen peas, Mr Birdseye really does know best here), boiled new potatoes and if required, a simple lemon sauce made by deglazing the frying pan with half a glass of white wine, juice & zest of half a lemon, a knob of butter and a pinch of fresh, chopped sage & oregano.

Monkfish really is an ideal fish for many cooking methods, it will handle curries, barbecues or deep frying in a tempura batter. Even those people who claim they don't like fish will change their minds once they've tried monk.

Herb crusted roast cod loin

This is a simple and easy recipe, taking around 30 minutes from freezer to plate (no need to thaw the fish first)..

Serves 4 (just reduce/increase measurements for any other numbers)

Ingredients

• 4 Regis frozen cod loin fillets
• 100gm (4oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tbsps chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped chives or any other herbs such as dill, coriander or tarragon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Dijon or wholegrain mustard
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan

Method

Pre-heat oven to 220c / gas mark 7

Remove cod loins from freezer, run the top of each loin under a cold tap to remove the glaze and pat dry.

Place cod loins on a lightly oiled baking tray or dish

In a bowl combine: breadcrumbs. lemon zest & juice, herbs and olive oil.

Spread each loin with mustard and press breadcrumb mixture on top

Sprinkle with parmesan ans season with salt & pepper

Place tray in centre of oven and cook for 20 minutes.

Serve with your choice of potatoes, rice, vegetables or salad.

*** To save time in future, make a larger batch of the breadcrumb mixture and keep in the freezer, it freezes well and keeps for ages.

To thaw or not to thaw?

I'm often asked whether our fish & meat should be defrosted prior to cooking. The vast majority of Regis dishes can be cooked from frozen, in fact they are better cooked from frozen. The fish, meat and poultry specialities should ALWAYS be cooked from frozen and in most cases that is oven cooked.

There are some fish that I would always recommend are thawed before cooking, namely:

Salmon fillet

Tuna loin steak

Monkfish

Swordfish

These fish are "meaty" and if cooked from frozen, there is a tendency to overcook them. I prefer instead to allow them to defrost completely, then if I am pan-frying, I would always use a heavy bottomed pan (I prefer to use a griddle pan) and always oil the fish, not the pan. Heat the pan dry, oil and season the fish with a good quality light oil such as grapeseed, rapeseed, peanut or olive oil. Don't use extra virgin olive oil, it's a waste for frying. Extra virgin olive oil has a high degree of olive pulp and it burns, tainting the oil. Use extra virgin for salad dressings, buy ordinary light olive oil for frying with.

Once the pan is hot, simply place the previously oiled and seasoned fish in the pan and watch the edges, they will show you how the fillet is cooking. After no more that 3 or 4 minutes, flip it over and give it no more than 2 more minutes - don't forget to oil and season that side too. One thing to bear in mind is that once you remove the fillet from the pan, it will continue cooking for another couple of minutes. So gently part the fillet and make sure it is cooked to your preference.

The same basic principles apply to many of our meats too, especially the ribeye, sirloin, fillet and gammon.

Just remember: oil the fish/meat, not the pan.

I'll soon be publishing some of my favourite recipes, so please keep checking back.