In an effort to eat a more healthy diet, and in support of a friend's new business, we've begun receiving weekly deliveries of fresh, sustainable fish. Hooked on Fish is local to Chicago and is run in a similar fashion to the Community Supported Agriculture model, where subscribers pay upfront for a regular delivery of fresh vegetables from a local farmer ... except in this case the delicious delivery is responsibly-caught fresh fish.
I never used to like the taste of fish but over time have come to enjoy it more and more. I still don't have much experience cooking fish, other than shrimp skewers and planked salmon on the grill. Our subscription to HOF began in the dead of winter, so alternatives to grilling became at first a necessity and now a fun, self-imposed challenge -- how will we prepare this week's seafood bounty? -- which will be explored as a recurring feature here at Entertain the Possibilities.
I never used to like the taste of fish but over time have come to enjoy it more and more. I still don't have much experience cooking fish, other than shrimp skewers and planked salmon on the grill. Our subscription to HOF began in the dead of winter, so alternatives to grilling became at first a necessity and now a fun, self-imposed challenge -- how will we prepare this week's seafood bounty? -- which will be explored as a recurring feature here at Entertain the Possibilities.
First up -- monkfish, one of the fugliest critters ever to dwell along the ocean floor. True bottom-feeders, they will eat whatever crosses their path including other monkfish, diving birds and crustaceans. However, as if to prove the point about books and their covers, the sweet meat of the monkfish’s tail is known as the poor man’s lobster, has long been used in French cooking, and now appears in many different cuisines and cooking techniques.
Fish Photo: Ryo Sato via Flickr Catch.Com Profile
Name: Monkfish
AKA: Allmouth; Sea-devil; Frog-fish
Neighborhood: Northwest Atlantic Ocean from the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence south to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
Turn-ons: Swallowing prey larger than itself; ‘walking’ on the ocean floor thanks to specially articulated pectoral fins
Turn-offs: Mirrors
Grab a bite: The firm, dense tail meat is mild and a little buttery. It stands up well to strong flavors and varied preparations, including Mediterranean, barbecue, roasting, sautéing, and seafood stew.
How about a drink: Due to the meatiness of the fish, both red and white wines will pair nicely but avoid the extremes – neither a super-light white nor a heavy-duty red, but instead choose something in the middle that complements the other flavors in the dish. Maybe a White Bordeaux or a Cotes du Rhone.
How We Prepared It: One of Hooked on Fish’s helpful features is the user-friendly recipes they provide, which sometimes I use and sometimes not. It's always interesting though to see their recommendations and read the recipes. This time we did follow the HOF pick:
- Sauteéd Monkfish Medallions with Leeks and Shitakes, using a recipe from Food & Wine magazine
- Green beans
- Conundrum wine – This was not the ideal pairing, didn’t think it would be, but the tasty, fruity-with-a-tang California white blend definitely hit the spot.
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The Verdict: The fish was good but the texture, the much raved about lobster mouthfeel, was not as awesome as we anticipated. There was a little more gristle than expected, so I might have done something wrong in the preparation. I’m willing to try cooking it again sometime, and will definitely order it in a restaurant where (presumably) they know exactly how to prepare it well.
The recipe calls for the sautéed monkfish to sit atop of a stew of leeks, shitakes, butter and wine. Nothing wrong with that! No, there sure wasn’t, that was a delicious base for anything to perch upon – chicken breast, pork tenderloin, any other kind of fish – or nothing at all, just scoop it up with a spoon. That stewy goodness will most definitely be added to the repertoire.
The meal would have benefitted from adding a starch, maybe a rice pilaf or toasted quinoa, to add another texture to the plate and soak up the buttery juices from the leeks and mushrooms. And if we were serving it to guests we’d pick a different wine – maybe a heavier (even slightly oaky) chardonnay or a light- to mid-weight pinot noir.
The Mignardise (a little something extra at the end): For your musical enjoyment (and punning pleasure) may I present --
The recipe calls for the sautéed monkfish to sit atop of a stew of leeks, shitakes, butter and wine. Nothing wrong with that! No, there sure wasn’t, that was a delicious base for anything to perch upon – chicken breast, pork tenderloin, any other kind of fish – or nothing at all, just scoop it up with a spoon. That stewy goodness will most definitely be added to the repertoire.
The meal would have benefitted from adding a starch, maybe a rice pilaf or toasted quinoa, to add another texture to the plate and soak up the buttery juices from the leeks and mushrooms. And if we were serving it to guests we’d pick a different wine – maybe a heavier (even slightly oaky) chardonnay or a light- to mid-weight pinot noir.
The Mignardise (a little something extra at the end): For your musical enjoyment (and punning pleasure) may I present --
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