Roasted Spiced Monkfish
At Kanishka, we celebrate this recipe with seasonal ingredients. In the winter months, we cook monkfish with kale, in the spring-summer with leeks, New Jersey royals, aubergine, etc. During the spawning period, we change to Hake or John Dory.
SERVES 4
4 X 150 gm monkfish tail, skinned, trimmed & boneless
2 Tbsp Curry Powder
Salt to taste
3 tbsp avocado or olive oil to fry the fish
100 gm salted butter, melted
½ lemon
Preheat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan).
Season the monkfish with salt and let it sit on a tray to lose some water. Pat it dry with a kitchen paper towel. Mix the oil and curry powder in a bowl and brush it all over the monkfish. Keep the marinated fish in the fridge for an hour. Roast it in the oven for 6-7 minutes, depending on its thickness. Remove and baste the fish with melted butter and cook for a further minute or two. Squeeze the lemon juice on the fish, just before serving.
MUSSELS
1kg fresh mussels, cleaned & debearded
1 tbsp butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped ginger
½ green chilli chopped
200ml dry white wine
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then add the shallots, chilli, and ginger and cook until soft. Add the white wine and bring to a boil. Add the cleaned mussels, cover with the lid, and steam for 2-3 minutes until the shells open. Strain the mussels through a colander, reserving the liquid. Keep 8 mussels in their open shell for garnish and remove the remaining from their shells. Discard any that did not open.
LEEKS
2 large leeks, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp nigella seeds
½ tsp sesame seeds (Mixed black & white)
100ml fish stock
150ml coconut cream
50 ml double cream
½ lemon for juice
Add oil in a saucepan and add cumin, nigella and sesame seeds. Sauté until spices turn light brown in colour or start crackling. Add butter and leeks to cook until soft. Add mussel cooking liquid and fish stock. Reduce by half and then add coconut cream and double cream. Bring to a simmer, add the mussels without shells and some chopped chives. Season with salt & lemon juice.
GARNISH
2 tbsp chopped chives
Handful of red vein sorrel leaves
Red Shisho or red amaranth leaves
TO SERVE
Divide the creamy leek & mussel mixture among the warm bowls. Slice the monkfish and place it on top of the sauce. Place two mussels with shells in each bowl. Garnish with chopped chives, sorrel leaves and shisho or amaranth leaves. Serve.
ATUL’S CURRY POWDER
This spice powder is lighter than the ones you buy, which can be heavy on turmeric and chillies. I wanted a blend that let the taste of green cardamoms & fennel come through. The Kashmiri red chilli powder gives a rich redness without searing heat, and the dried mango powder lends a citrus tang.
MAKES 5 TBSP
10 green cardamom pods
5cm cinnamon stick
10 cloves
4 dried red chillies
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 ½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
1 ½ tsp dried mango powder
1 ½ tsp turmeric powder
Toast the whole spices individually in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until aromatic. Immediately tip them out of a pan into a spice grinder or mini food processor. Add the ground spices and blitz to a fine powder. Sift through a sieve. Store in an airtight container in a dark cupboard for up to 3 weeks.
