Monkfish Bourguignon
- Nigel Barden
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
by Emily Scott from Home Shores (Quadrille)
Photography Matt Russell
The classic flavours of boeuf bourguignon are here combined with monkfish. There are not many easy ways to swap meat for fish, but the meaty, robust nature of monkfish can keep up with the pace and is a really lovely alternative to using beef. A lighter red wine like Pinot Noir sets the scene well, giving you a relatively quick, stew-like, comforting fish supper.
Serves 4
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 30–40 minutes
Ingredients
450 g (1lb) monkfish on the bone, trimmed and cut into 4 cm (1½) pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
25 g (1oz) unsalted butter
12 small round shallots, peeled, halved
6 garlic cloves, peeled
250 ml (8 fl oz/1 cup) Fish Stock (there’s a recipe in Home Shores)
1 x 400 g (14 oz) tin of chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried chilli (hot pepper) flakes
1 bouquet garni (rosemary and thyme sprigs plus a bay leaf tied together)
6 baby carrots, trimmed, halved lengthways
200 g (7 oz) sugar snap peas
1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)
500 ml (17 fl oz/generous 2 cups) red wine (Pinot Noir)
sea salt
thyme leaves, to garnish
buttery mash, to serve
Method:
Pat dry the monkfish with paper towels and season with sea salt.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan. Once bubbling, cook the monkfish in batches until the fish is golden brown. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, sauté the shallots and garlic for 10 minutes until softened and translucent. Pour in the fish stock, allowing it to gently deglaze the pan, and bring to a simmer. Add the tin of tomatoes, chilli flakes and the bouquet garni, then add the baby carrots. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the carrots are tender (be careful not to overcook them).
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the sugar snap peas for 5 minutes, then refresh under cold water. Set aside.
In a small bowl, slake the cornflour with the red wine. Pour into the pan, then add the monkfish pieces back to the pan and simmer for 5–6 minutes until the monkfish is just cooked. Finally, add the sugar snap peas.
Ladle into warm bowls and serve with buttery mash, garnished with extra thyme leaves.
Drinks tasted on air alongside the dish:
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