Fillet of Monkfish à L'anglaise
Técnica

"An ugly looking sea fish, hence its French nicknames of crapaud (toad) or diable de mer (sea devil). It has an enormous head with a very large mouth and a scaleless brownish body. The head is unfamiliar to the consumer, because the fish is always sold as queue de lotte (monkfish tail), with the head removed. Its flesh, which is lean, delicate, and firm, is prepared rather like meat (with a sauce, sautéed, grilled on skewers, or baked). There is very little waste, and the thick backbone is very easy to remove."
pp 819, The Concise Larousse Gastronomique

This is a light lunch sort of meal, with the fish not sitting too heavily on the stomach. It is accompanied by beurre du maitre d'hotel, and possibly some light greens; beans liberally flavoured with the beurre would be ideal. Lightly boiled new potatoes would also be a fine accompaniment. To drink one would suppose a chilled white, unfortunately a lacking cellar prevented our research, much to our chagrin. Of course a full report shall be made in due course.

Ingredienti:
Técnica
  1. Remove the fish from the fridge with enough for it to rise to room temperature. If it is still boned, remove the bone, but leave the skin intact as it helps the fish to remain in one piece during cooking.
  2. Liberally season the fish to taste, and then dust with flour.
  3. Beat the egg, using it to coat both sides of the fillets.
  4. Follow the egg coating with a generous coating of breadcrumbs, again on both sides of the fish. Ensure that the fish is completely covered (the mix of the flour and the egg will act as a glue here) so that the fish is evenly cooked).
  5. Put a frying pan on the heat, and melt a knob of butter until it is sizzling. Carefully introduce the fillets to the heat as they can break easily (of course should the fish break, the dog will be more than happy so it is not too high a cause for concern). Fry on a high heat until both sides of the fillet are golden brown, then for a further ten minutes on a low heat, turning every two minutes or so: often enough to prevent burning.
  6. While the fish is frying, prepare the beurre. Four fillets is enough for two people, so measure out how much butter you are willing to eat.
  7. Soften the butter with a fork, and again season. Add the chopped parsley and squeeze in a generous amount of lemon juice (this will sharpen the final beurre making it more palatable).
  8. After the ten minutes have passed, carefully remove the fish to a pre-warmed plate and garnish with the beurre, placing some on top of the fish allowing it to melt in, and some on the plate for use at the diner's discretion. Add a half- or a quarter of the lemon to the plate, and serve any accompaniments.

    Nota Bene: this recipe also works well with sea bass, and proved very enjoyable.


Goce!

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