It’s made simply by leaving melted butter in the pan long enough to cook so the taste becomes nutty. Oil is used for the cooking of the fish, while butter is only used for finishing because it burns easily (unless you use copious amounts or very low heat, neither of which suit this recipe) īutter – The sauce for this fish recipe is a brown butter sauce.

Olive oil – This is used to pan-fry the fish. The bottom photo shows how I’ve cut them for pan-searing. How to cut monkfish fillets for pan-searing The top photo shows one whole monkfish fillet and one half-fillet. It’s best to cut them into large(-ish) pieces for pan-searing as it will help them cook through more evenly, as well as making them easier to handle in the pan. For 2 people that’s 150 – 180g (5 – 6oz) of fish per person, which is a standard serving size. The smaller one is about 100g (3.5oz), giving 1 1/2 fillets total or about 300g (10oz). The larger of the monkfish fillets pictured above and below is actually not that big, around 200g (7oz) per whole fillet. (My attempt at plating up nicely is shown at the bottom of the post!) The fillets are thick, cylindrical and long in shape, almost like pork tenderloins, making them simple to slice into neat chunks and arrange artfully on a plate. It’s also a fish that’s excellent to “do fancy” with, because it’s easy to present attractively. Well, no more! 🙂 Aside from the appealing lobster-like qualities of the flesh, it’s a clean-tasting fish that’s good for people who are sensitive to or dislike “fishy”-tasting fish. You may have in the past overlooked monkfish because it’s not a fish familiar to you. This explains why it’s always sold as skin-off fillets here! As they say though, it’s what’s on the inside that counts: The flesh is truly delicious and monkfish is a highly prized table fish around the world. The fish has tough skin and a giant head with a face only a mother could love. Monkfish is a deep sea fish widely available at fishmongers in Sydney (usually imported from New Zealand), sometimes labelled “Stargazer”. Monkfish (also known as “Stargazer” in Australia)

Also, see here for the Salmon version of this recipe. While I’ve made this using monkfish, it can be made with any fish suitable for pan-searing. Here’s what you need to make this monkfish recipe. A unique characteristic of monkfish is that the fillets are thick enough to allow attractively thick slices for presentation. I’m also sharing an attractive way of presenting the fish that I think makes this Monkfish recipe worthy of a place on the menus of upmarket restaurants! Butter-basting while pan-searing monkfish is a classic restaurant technique to cook fish. It’s quick and easy enough for a nice midweek meal, taking 15 minutes (tops) from start to finish. Brown butter has a more intensely nutty flavour than just plain melted butter that makes this just that little bit more interesting. It’s a simple but classic sauce that works with any seafoods. With this in mind, this recipe for monkfish is based on a way I like to prepare lobster tails: pan-seared with a Herb Brown Butter Sauce. Monkfish fillets are also thick and hefty like lobster tails. The cooked meat of a monkfish has a similarly meaty and succulent texture, with a sweet and clean flavour that’s not fishy at all. Monkfish, also known as Stargazer in Australia, is affectionately known as “poor man’s lobster” because the flesh resembles lobster meat – only much more economical. There’s a reason monkfish is a firm favourite with fine dining restaurants! Monkfish recipe But there’s certainly nothing “poor” about this dish! If you’re new to cooking Monkfish, this is a good recipe to try because it’s easy and showcases just how good monkfish is. With sweet and meaty lobster-like flesh, Monkfish is affectionately known as “poor man’s lobster”.

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