Roast Monkfish With Crisp Potatoes Olives And Bay Leaves Recipes

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.

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.

PAN ROASTED MONKFISH WITH POTATOES AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Begin by removing the outer mottled gray membranes and any dark red portions from the monkfish fillets. On a slight angle, slice the fish into 1/2-inch thick medallions. Using two pieces of wax paper, place a few medallions between the paper and lightly pound them with the flat side of a meat mallet or small heavy saucepan to slightly flatten them.
• In a 4-5 quart saucepan, add the potatoes and enough cold water to cover them by 3 inches, season with salt and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to a gentle boil and cook 10 minutes.
• Trim the root ends and dark green leaves from the leeks. From the greens of one leek, trim any yellow, wilted or bruised parts and reserve them. The other two leek greens can be set aside for another use, like stock. Slice the leek whites and reserved greens in half lengthwise. Rinse layers well under cold water to remove any grit from between the layers. Using one set of leek whites and greens, cut again in half lengthwise. The remaining leek whites cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces. Add all the leeks to the potatoes after they have cooked at a gentle boil for 10 minutes. Cook leeks and potatoes for an additional 10 minutes or until they are tender.
• Reserve 2 cups of the potato/leek cooking liquid. Drain the remaining liquid from the vegetables. Transfer to a blender the leek greens, long pieces of leek whites and two slices of the potato. Add approximately 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and blend until smooth. While the blender is still running, add 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a thin steady stream. Blend until creamy and the sauce is thick enough to lightly coat a spoon. If necessary, add more cooking liquid to get the sauce to that stage. Strain the sauce into a small saucepan, keep warm over low heat.
• In a large skillet over a medium-high flame, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the remaining leeks and potatoes that have been drained and the thyme sprigs to the skillet.
• Season with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown, turning often, for approximately 12 minutes. Remove from heat and cover skillet to keep the mixture warm.
• Sprinkle the monkfish slices with salt and lightly coat them with flour, tap off excess. In a large non-stick skillet over medium flame, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Add as many monkfish slices as possible to fit in a single layer. Cook fish only turning once until golden brown on both sides, approximately 5-7 minutes. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
• Divide the potatoes and leeks among 6 warm dinner plates. Place the monkfish slices on top of the vegetable mixture and spoon the sauce over the fish. Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley and/or chives. Serve immediately.

GRILLED OR ROASTED MONKFISH WITH BLACK OLIVE SAUCE & 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.

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.