Pan-fried monkfish with potato rosti, buttered leeks and fennel
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 2
- Dietary
- HealthyPregnancy-friendly
Meaty monkfish is served with crispy potato rosti, buttery leeks and a rich fish bisque.
Ingredients
For the potato rosti
- 500g/1lb 2oz Maris piper potatoes whole (waxy potato works best)
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 small free-range egg, beaten
- vegetable oil, for frying
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the langoustine bisque
- 1 heaped tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- ½ fennel, sliced
- 300g/10½oz langoustines shells or prawn shells
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 250ml/9fl oz chicken stock
- 1 strip lemon rind
- 4 tbsp double cream
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the leeks
For the monkfish
- 2 monkfish fillets (250g/9oz each) – skin off, membrane removed and fillet trimmed
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Method
To make the potato rosti, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the potatoes whole with skin on for 5 minutes. Drain the potatoes and plunge them into cold water to cool completely and then drain again. Pat the potatoes dry.
Grate the potatoes lengthways to get long strands and put them into a mixing bowl. Add the cornflour and egg to the bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well until fully combined.
Add 2–3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a frying pan over medium heat.
Place a large spoonful of potato mixture into the pan, cook for about 4–5 minutes on one side until golden-brown. Flip and repeat on the other side until crisp and golden. Repeat until you have cooked all the rostis.
To make the langoustine bisque, add the butter to a saucepan and, when melted, fry the onion and carrot on a medium heat until they are softened, this will take 5–8 minutes. If the vegetables start to catch add a splash of water and keep stirring. Add the fennel and allow to soften, this will take 5–8 minutes.
Add the langoustine heads and shells and cook until they turn a coral colour, this will take 7–10 minutes. Add the tomato puree, bay leaf and garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Pour in the stock, add the lemon rind and simmer for 10–15 minutes. While simmering, lightly crush the langoustine heads and shells with a wooden spoon to help release their flavour.
the mixture through a clean sieve into a new saucepan, pressing down with a wooden spoon.
Put the new pan over a low heat, add the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes, but do not bring the liquid to a boil to avoid splitting the cream. Once ready, transfer the bisque to a jug ready for later.
To make the leeks, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to a saucepan over a medium heat, once hot add the fennel and cook for 3–5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the leeks and cook for another 3 minutes until they start to soften. Next add the butter, allow it to melt, stir until combined and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and add a little lemon juice to taste.
To make the monkfish, place a frying pan over a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Once hot add the monkfish fillets to the pan and fry for about 3–4 minutes. Use your spatula to press down on the fish, to stop the edges from curling. Flip the fillets and add the butter, melt until frothing, then spoon the melted butter over the fish fillets and cook for a further 3–4 minutes.
To serve, place the rosti on plates, top with a spoon of leeks on top, then the monkfish. Grate over some lemon zest and serve with the jug of bisque on the side.
