Take for example the Gherkin building in London. To some people it's a blot on the landscape but to others it's a work of art and a thing of beauty. I have to say I fall into the latter.
One thing however I'm pretty sure everybody can agree on is that the humble Monkfish is truly truly ugly.......
Check out this little critter
Ugly as it may be the one redeeming quality is has it that it tastes so damn good!
The tail is the edible part and it's texture can be likened to Lobster. Not so long ago this delicious flesh was used for Scampi, it was almost considered the offal of the sea but since it's been used by chefs worldwide it can now even command a higher price that it's shellfish peer.
Monkfish has a very firm texture, almost meaty. It's not as delicate as a flaky Cod which means that when cooking you can actually afford to give it a bit longer and it won't spoil the taste too much.
When cooking Cod I'll always try to make sure the flakes are just opaque rather than completely white but with Monkfish you can give it that little bit more but as with any fish over cooking is a cardinal sin. You can substitute Monkfish for Cod in the recipe I'm about to give and if you're not into fish you could even use Chicken.
Also I say "Buerre blanc" but it is in fact a variation on it which I made up to compliment this dish....it probably exists in some French cookery book and has an elaborate name.
Baked Monkfish fillet with butternut squash purée and buerre blanc
Serves Two
Ingredients -
2 x Monkfish fillets
2 x Slices of parma ham
1 x Finely chopped shallot
1/2 x Glass of white wine
60g x Unsalted butter, cut into cubes
5g x Finely chopped dill
8 x Chopped capers
1/2 x Dried bayleaf
1/2 x Butternut squash, cubed
1 x Pinch of ground clove
200g x Green beans, trimmed
Milk
Salt
Pepper
1. Put the cubed squash into a small saucepan along with the bayleaf, ground clove and half of the chopped shallot. Cover this with milk and bring to the boil over medium heat then reduce the temperature so it's a slows to a simmer.
2. In another pan cover the green beans with water and bring to the boil then again reduce the heat and simmer until tender.
3. Meanwhile heat the oven to around 140C then take the Monkfish fillets and wrap them in the parma ham. Place these on a non stick baking tray and once the oven is at temperature cook for 10 minutes.
4. Take the cooked butternut squash from the saucepan and put into a blender. Whizz it up to form a smooth purée using a little of the heated milk to loosen up if needed. Transfer the puree to a squeezable bottle setting it aside until ready to serve.
5. Fry the remaining shallots in a pan with one cube of butter, let these go soft before pouring in the white wine. Boil the contents until it's reduced by half then remove from the heat. Add in the dill and capers then all but one of the remaining butter cubes. Whisk continuously until the butter has completely melted and emulsified into the sauce. Set aside.
6. Onto the centre of a round plate squeeze a zig zag of the purée. On top of this lay the green beans, squeeze a little more of the purée in a line across the centre of the beans then top with the Monkfish fillet.
7. To finish the buerre blanc whisk in the final butter cube to firm up the sauce then drizzle over the Monkfish. Finish the dish by squeezing increasing blobs of purée on the side of the plate.
Tooodlepip xx....
