Stephen King, executive chef at Uisge restaurant and bar in Murthly, makes a delicious dish with a favourite catch: monkfish
The arrival of a new fishmonger to Kinross after a long time without one got me thinking about cooking a lot more fish at home.
I feel that seafood has become much more popular in homes and people are more comfortable and experimental cooking different types of fish at home rather than sticking to the old favourites like haddock and salmon.
With such a varied selection of high quality seafood produced in Scotland we are fortunate to have such accessibility.
One of my favourites due to its versatility has to be monkfish; it can be used in so many different ways from fine dining to hearty curries.
Although monkfish tail is the most readily available if you are able to ask your local fishmonger if they can source monkfish cheeks you will not be disappointed.
Cheeks still have the lovely sweet flavour that you get from the tail but have a more tender texture. The cheeks are also very versatile and easy to prepare, with no bones to worry about all you need to do is remove the thin membrane and you are good to go. Keeping it simple and giving the cheeks a light coating of Panko breadcrumbs before shallow frying will give you a wonderful monkfish scampi that will go lovely with either tartare sauce or aioli.
Whether you are using the tail or the cheeks, monkfish is a robust fish and can be paired with lots of different strong flavours and spices. One of my favourite ways of cooking it is with chorizo and spices.
To serve 2, you’ll need: 500g monkfish (remove the membrane); 200g chorizo link diced; 1 tbsp smoked paprika; 1 tbsp Cajun spice; 1 lime juiced; 50g unsalted butter.
Either slice the tail fillet down into nice scallop size pieces or leave the cheeks whole, lightly dusting them in the Cajun and paprika mix.
Over a medium heat in a dry nonstick pan lightly fry of the chorizo until it starts to colour and releasing oil.
Add the monkfish to the pan and seal on one side for around 1 minute before turning, cook for 3-4 minutes or until the monkfish is slightly opaque in the centre. Add the butter and lime juice, this should create a nice emulsion with the chorizo oil to coat the monkfish. Remove from the heat and serve with a braised rice or risotto of your choice.
Chef’s tip: Remember to remove the membrane as this may cause the fish to be tough when cooked. Don’t be scared to experiment with bold flavours.
