RECIPE
SERVES 2
Paul Ainsworth
FOR THE MONKFISH
• 4 small monkfish tails ( about 250g each )
• 20g shallots , diced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 200g cooked frozen prawns , defrosted on kitchen paper
• 20g capers
• 20g gherkins , diced
• 60g samphire
• 10g flat-leaf parsley , roughly chopped
• ½ lemon , zested and juiced
FOR THE BRINE
• 100g table salt
• 40g caster sugar
• 6 thyme sprigs
• 6 rosemary sprigs
• 4 garlic cloves , unpeeled and crushed
• 5 black peppercorns
• 5 coriander seeds
FOR THE MADRAS BUTTER
• 250g unsalted butter , diced
• 4 tsp madras curry powder
• Pinch of Cornish sea salt
FOR THE MACE CROUTONS
• 1 tbsp oil
• 35g unsalted butter
• 2 slices sourdough ( the staler , the better )
• 1 garlic clove , finely grated or chopped
• Pinch of mace
Madras Butter Roast Monkfish & Potted Prawns
AS SEEN ON
Big Kitchen
Monkfish is perfect for fish-cooking novices – it ’ s forgiving and has no small bones . With its meaty texture , it offers a rich flavour too .
1 For the brine , put all the ingredients in a saucepan with 2 litres of water and bring to a simmer . Once the sugar and salt have dissolved , remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool . Add the monkfish tails and leave to brine for 1 hour . 2 Once brined , transfer the monkfish tails to kitchen paper or a clean tea towel and pat dry . Don ’ t throw away the brine – you can use it in other recipes . 3 For the madras butter , place a medium frying pan over high heat and add the cubed butter , stirring so it melts evenly . The butter will start to foam and then brown . Once it is light brown , pour it through a sieve into a bowl , then add the curry powder and sea salt to the hot butter and stir . Transfer to the fridge . Once set , whisk the butter , ready for use . 4 For the croutons , place a medium frying pan over high heat and add the oil , then the butter . Tear up the bread into bite-sized rustic chunks and add to the foaming butter . Add the garlic , mace , and a pinch of sea salt , and keep the croutons moving until they are crisp and toasted . Drain on kitchen paper . 5 Heat the oven to 200 ° C / 180 ° C fan / gas 6 . Place the four monkfish tails on a baking tray . Spoon the soft madras butter evenly over each monkfish tail , then transfer to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes , or until the thickest part of the fish probes at 50 ° C . Remove the fish from the oven and set aside to rest . 6 Meanwhile , place a large frying pan over medium-high heat . Pour off all the monkfish-infused madras butter from the tray into the pan , add the shallot and garlic , and cook for a minute . Add the prawns to the shallot butter to warm through for 2 minutes . Add the capers , gherkins , and samphire , and continue to stir and cook until the samphire has slightly wilted and the prawns are warm . Finish with the chopped parsley and lemon juice to taste . 7 To serve , place each roasted monkfish tail on a plate , then spoon over the potted prawns and madras butter sauce . Add the rustic croutons around the plates and a grating of lemon zest over each finished dish .
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