Newsletter Home | Market Report | Recipes | Contact Us | Subscribe to Newsletter

Recipes Home | Refer this page to a friend

Pan-Roasted Monkfish with Tomatoes and Olives

Seafood alternatives: sturgeon, tuna, halibut

This recipe is from Café Campagne, a fabulous bistro in Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market. Chef Jim Duhrman needs only to step out his kitchen door to find the very best seafood, produce and international ingredients for his recipes. The silky mashed potatoes blend beautifully with the flavorful sauce.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds monkfish tail, dark membrane removed
• 4 tsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
• 1 Tbsp. chopped shallot
• 3 Roma (plum) tomatoes, skinned, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 cup mixed olives, pitted and rinsed
• 1/4 cup diced preserved lemon rind*
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• Thyme sprigs, for garnish

Yellow Finn Potato Puree:

• 1 1/2 pounds Yellow Finn potatoes, peeled and halved
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3/4 cup milk, warmed
• 2 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Make the potato puree: Put the potatoes and whole garlic cloves in a large pan, add enough cold water to cover, bring to a boil and simmer until they are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and garlic, arrange them on a baking sheet and dry in the preheated oven for 5 minutes to remove excess water. This helps to make the finished puree fluffier. Leave the oven set at 450°F.

Pass the dried potatoes and garlic through a food mill or ricer into a mixing bowl. Stir in the warmed milk and the nuggets of butter until just smooth. Season the puree well with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the puree. The potatoes will keep warm for about 30 minutes; reheat gently before serving if necessary.

Season the monkfish tail with salt and pepper to taste. Preheat a large oven-proof skillet over high heat; add two teaspoons of oil and sear the fish until nicely browned on all sides, about 6 minutes total. Place the skillet in the preheated oven and roast until the fish is firm and just cooked through, about 5 minutes more.

When the fish is cooked, remove it from the pan and cover it with foil to keep warm. Wipe out the pan and add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Sautee the garlic and shallots over medium heat until soft, about 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes, olives, preserved lemon and thyme. Sautee until the tomatoes begin to soften lightly and lose some juice, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in a tablespoon of cold butter to finish.

Cut the monkfish tail into slices about 1 inch thick. Spoon a portion of potatoes onto warm serving plates. Place the monkfish pierces on the potatoes and finish with the sauce. Garnish each plate with a fresh thyme sprig.

*Preserved lemons can be found in specialty foods stores and Mediterranean markets. The lemons should be rinsed well and the pulp discarded. If you are unable to find preserved lemons, substitute 2 teaspoons of grated lemon zest.

Servings per recipe: 4

Cal. 509 /Total Fat 23g / Sat. 8g / Chol. 84mg / Sdm. 976mg / Carbo. 37 g / Prot. 40g / Om-3 0g