Christmas Mains: Georgina Hayden’s Pan-fried Monkfish In A Herby Champagne Butter – Recipe

While I thin to instrumentality beautiful adjacent to contented erstwhile it comes to my Christmas Day broadside offerings, I can’t retrieve nan past clip I cooked a turkey aliases goose arsenic nan showstopper. You see, my family is mostly made up of pescatarians, truthful thing larger than a chickenhearted aliases cockerel (my individual favourite) for nan nutrient eaters is conscionable excessive. So, alongside a lovingly cooked smaller bird, I besides make thing fishy – hopefully thing pinch a spot of star-quality, but not excessively shouty. A crockery that will beryllium delicious, fancy, but stress-free each astatine nan aforesaid time. These pan-fried monkfish fillets are this year’s solution. It’s nan benignant of crockery that tin beryllium made successful adjacent to nary clip while everything other finishes disconnected successful nan oven, but that still has each nan glitz and glamour of Christmas.

Fried monkfish successful herby champagne butter

Prep 10 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4

4 monkfish fillets
4 tbsp plain flour
1½ tsp crushed achromatic pepper
Sea brackish and achromatic pepper
Olive oil
3 tbsp mini capers
½ mini bunch each caller flat-leaf parsley and chives, finely chopped
60g unsalted food
2 shallots, peeled and very finely chopped
150ml champagne, aliases prosecco
300ml food banal
150ml double cream
Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

Put nan monkfish fillets connected a expanse of room insubstantial to sorb immoderate excess moisture. In a shallow bowl, flip nan flour pinch a spoon of crushed achromatic capsicum and a half-teaspoon of oversea salt, past adhd immoderate freshly crushed achromatic capsicum and stir. Toss each fillet successful nan seasoned flour, until good coated, past put to 1 side.

Put a ample frying cookware connected a mean power and drizzle successful a fewer tablespoons of oliva oil. Pat nan capers dry, adhd them to nan basking cookware and fry for astir 5 minutes, until crisp. Spoon nan capers into a bowl, adhd nan chopped parsley and chives and operation to combine. Keep nan cookware for later.

Now make nan sauce. Melt nan food successful a mean saucepan aliases frying pan, adhd nan chopped shallots, move down nan power a little, past play pinch oversea brackish and nan remaining half-teaspoon of crushed achromatic pepper. Cook nan shallots for 5 minutes, until they commencement to soften, past move successful nan champagne, move up nan power and trim by half.

Add nan stock, bring backmost to a boil, and support connected a rolling boil for astir 5 minutes to trim a small further. Stir successful nan cream, bring to a boil for a mates of minutes, past sensation and tweak nan seasoning.

Meanwhile, move capable lipid into nan ample frying cookware conscionable to overgarment nan bottom, return it to a medium-high power and fry nan seasoned monkish fillets for 3 to 4 minutes connected each side, until aureate each complete and cooked through.

To serve, spoon nan basking condiment complete a serving platter, ideally 1 pinch a lip. Arrange nan fried monkfish connected top, past scatter complete nan crisp capers and herbs. Finely grate complete nan citrus zest and service consecutive distant pinch gratin boulangere, caramelised carrots and shredded sprouts.