Monkfish with Prosecco Sauce and Lemon Roasted Fennel

Monkfish with Prosecco Sauce and Lemon Roasted Fennel, Samphire and Crispy Potatoes. This elegant, rich and tasty Monkfish recipe is perfect for impressing your guests – the prosecco sauce will go down particularly well. Monkfish is a meaty fish with a sweet, light flavour similar to lobster in many ways. 

As always, I have created this recipe for Peterhead Fish Company who have supplied me with the delicious Monkfish. Offering delivery service across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, it is a perfect way to buy fresh, local fish.

If you like this Monkfish with Prosecco Sauce recipe, try my other Seafood Recipes.

RECIPE

SERVES 2

DIFFICULTY LEVEL Top Chef

Ingredients:

For the Monkfish:

• 2 Monkfish fillets or one Monkfish tail, halved
• Butter
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

For the Lemon Roasted Fennel:

• 2 fennel bulbs
• 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper
• Prosecco

For the Prosecco Sauce:

• 1 shallot or half a small onion, very finely chopped
• 400ml prosecco
• 200ml double cream
• Butter
• Salt and white pepper

For the crispy potatoes:

• 2 large potatoes, chopped into small cubes
• Sunflower oil
• Salt and pepper

For the samphire:

• 2 handfuls of samphire
• Butter

Method

1. Put the cubed potatoes into a pan of salted boiling water and cook for 2 minutes on a rolling boil. Drain and allow to cool slightly.

2. Preheat the oven to 200C. Place a dish with half a cm of sunflower oil in the oven to heat for the potatoes. Slice the fennel lengthways into chunky slices. Place in a large roasting dish, season with salt and pepper, cut the lemon into quarters and place them around the fennel. Pour over a good glug of prosecco. Put the potatoes into the oiled dish then into the oven along with the fennel dish. Roast for around 30 minutes until the fennel is soft and caramelised and the potatoes are crispy.

4. Whilst the fennel and potatoes are cooking, make your sauce. Put a teaspoon of butter in a pan and the shallot. Cook over a low medium heat for around 8 minutes until soft. Turn the heat up and add the prosecco. Bubble until reduced by half. Add the cream and season with plenty salt and white pepper. Bubble until slightly thickened to your liking. Keep warm.

5. Cook the monkfish when the fennel and potatoes are just about ready. Cooking the monkfish requires some intuitive as the cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fillet. Heat a frying pan over a high heat. Season the fish all over with salt and pepper. Add a tablespoon of butter and a drizzle of olive oil to the hot pan and add the fish. Press the fillets down with your fingers, this prevents the fish from curling up. Cook on this side for 5 minutes, then turn over and place in the oven for a further 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 2 minutes.

6. When everything is ready, cook the samphire. Place a frying pan over a high heat and stir fry the samphire in a little butter for 2 minutes, until cooked but not falling apart- you want it to remain crisp.

7. Enjoy your Monkfish with Prosecco Sauce