Olive Roasted Monkfish Food

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 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

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.

OVEN ROASTED MONKFISH WITH CLAMS AND MERGUEZ SAUSAGE

Steps:

• For the monkfish: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Season the monkfish with salt and pepper to taste. Sear on both sides until lightly golden brown. Place the fish in a small roasting pan and roast in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes.
• For the potatoes: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss potatoes in olive oil in season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until just cooked through and lightly golden brown. .
• For the sausage: Preheat grill or grill pan. Grill the sausage until golden brown and cooked through. Let rest and cut into 1/2-inch slices.
• For the clam broth: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add wine and cook until reduced. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add clams, cover the pot and cook until the clams open, remove the clams with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Cook the broth until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the butter, add the scallions and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Assemble: Cut the roasted monkfish into 4 pieces. Place a small amount of spinach in each bowl. Place a piece of monkfish on top of spinach and place 3 potatoes, 3 pieces of merguez and 3 clams around the edge. Ladle broth over and garnish with fresh parsley.

MONKFISH WITH OLIVE SAUCE AND TOMATO COMPOTE

Steps:

• Season the smoked monkfish with salt and freshly ground pepper. To plate, first place 1 cup of Tomato Compote in the center, then add the 2 smoked monkfish fillets, and pour the Black Olive Sauce around the plate. Garnish with a bay leaf and drizzled with olive oil, if desired.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and scallions and sweat for several minutes until the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally so the scallions don't burn. Meanwhile, blanch the tomatoes in a pot of boiling salted water for 15 to 20 seconds, just long enough so that you will be able to peel the skin. Drain the tomatoes, and peel their skins. Then chop with the garlic and thyme, until garlic and thyme are minced. Add the chopped tomatoes, garlic, and thyme to the saucepan. Stir to combine, adjust heat to a simmer, and let reduce until thick. Add a pinch of sugar, to taste.
• In a medium bowl, combine the chopped onion, garlic, shallot, and black olives. Over the bowl, rub the flowers of the thyme together with your hands to sprinkle the thyme dust into the bowl. Add the olive oil and sherry wine, and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat until sauce has developed a smooth consistency. Add a pinch of salt, to taste.

ROASTED MONKFISH WITH HERBS AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Saute onion in 2 T of the olive oil until soft. When soft add in the fresh herbs and saute until wilted.
• Meanwhile Preheat oven to 190°C Rinse fish and pat dry. I then "butterflied" the fish the best I could to make it a bit flatter.
• Season fish with salt and pep.
• Lay the prosciutto slices vertically and slightly overlapping on a roasting tin, then put one of the monkfish fillets across, cut side up. Arrange the peppers and the herb mix on top of the fish. Then put the other fillet on top (cut side down), to make a parcel. Wrap the prosciutto around the fish, covering it completely.
• Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes.

SEARED MONKFISH WITH BALSAMIC AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Combine sun-dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tomato oil, garlic, and sugar in a small bowl. Toss to coat and set aside.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the purple translucent membrane away from each fillet. Cut each fillet crosswise into 3 to 4 pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear monkfish until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes more. Reduce heat to low, remove fish to a plate, and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Pour sun-dried tomato mixture into the skillet and quickly stir around the pan until just warmed, about 20 seconds. Spoon topping over fish and garnish with parsley.

ROAST MONKFISH WITH CRISP POTATOES, OLIVES, AND BAY LEAVES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes (use a mandoline if you have one). Spread the bottom of a 9 X 12-inch baking pan with half the olive oil; top with a single layer of the potatoes (it's okay if they overlap a little). Season with salt and pepper and top with the bay leaves and remaining oil.
• Roast for 10 minutes. Check and turn the pan from back to front, shaking it a little to bathe the potatoes in oil. Roast for 10 minutes more. If the potatoes aren't browning, roast for 5 minutes more.
• Top the potatoes with the olives and the fish; sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes more, or until the fish is tender but not overcooked. Serve immediately.
• Variations
• You can mix sliced onion or other root vegetables in with the potatoes, and the results will be delicious, but the juices of the vegetables will reduce the potatoes' browning; it's a trade-off, and there's nothing to be done about it.
• Substitute about 10 fresh sprigs thyme for the bay or about 2 teaspoons fresh (or 1 dried) rosemary.
• Other possibilities: 1 tablespoon ground cumin or cumin seeds; 1 tablespoon fennel seeds; 3 teaspoons curry powder (sprinkle 1 teaspoon on the fish itself); a few saffron threads; or 1 tablespoon good-quality, medium-hot paprika.

ROASTED MONKFISH WITH POTATOES, OLIVES AND BAY LEAVES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Peel and thinly slice the potatoes (a mandoline is great for this).
• Cover the bottom of a 9x12-inch baking dish with half the olive oil, and top with the potatoes in a single layer (they can overlap a little).
• Season with salt and pepper and top with the bay leaves and remaining oil.
• Roast for ten minutes, turn the pan back to front, and roast ten minutes more (by now the potatoes should be browning--if not, give them another minute or two).
• Top the potatoes with the olives and lay the fish on top, sprinkling it with salt and pepper.
• Roast the dish for an additional ten minutes or until the fish is tender but not overcooked.
• Serve immediately.

OLIVE-ROASTED MONKFISH

Steps:

• Put the olives, honey, and coffee in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Divide the puree into two parts, one for brushing the fish and the other for sauce.
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a roasting rack on top. Put the monkfish tails on the rack. Using a pastry brush, evenly coat the monkfish with half of the olive mixture designated for coating the fish. Refrigerate for 20 minutes so the puree will adhere to the fish. After 20 minutes, brush the monkfish tails with the puree again and return them to the refrigerator for another 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
• Remove the fish from the refrigerator and brush again with the olive puree. Roast the fish for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and roast for 10 more minutes. Turn off the oven without opening the door and let the fish rest for 10 minutes. Remove the fish from the oven and let it rest for 5 more minutes.
• While the fish is resting, heat the reserved half of the olive puree in a small pot over medium-low heat. Stir frequently so it does not stick to the pot.
• Working with one tail at a time, cut the meat off either side of the central bone. Slice each monkfish loin into medallions.
• To serve, put a pool of sauce on each of 4 plates and arrange the monkfish slices on top. Sprinkle with the scallions.