Monkfish with sage, cranberry and pine nut stuffing

  • medium
  • 4
  • 2 hours 30 minutes
Not yet rated

Nathan Outlaw creates a sophisticated option in the run-up to Christmas, this dish sees meaty monkfish filled with a herby sausage meat stuffing and tightly wrapped in a neat jacket of bacon.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Monkfish

Stuffing

Orange and thyme dressing

Garnish

Method

1
To make the stuffing, cook the onions and garlic in the butter until softened. Allow to cool. Mix into the sausage meat. Add the egg, lemon zest, sage, cranberries, pine nuts and breadcrumbs
2
Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Chill until needed
3
To prepare the monkfish, trim the skin and membrane from the fish, then lay each fillet down on a chopping board
4
To make a tunnel for the stuffing, insert the tip of a sharp knife through the centre of the fish down its length, making sure not to cut through the outside
5
Use the knife blade to make a pocket in the fish then push the stuffing into the monkfish. Remove the rind from the bacon and then wrap the bacon around the fish
6
Lay each piece of monkfish onto a piece of cling film long enough to tie at each end. Wrap the fish tightly – they will be immersed in water - and knot the ends. Chill
7
To make the dressing, heat the butter, garlic and the thyme together until the butter starts to turn brown. Remove from the heat, add the orange zest and leave the butter to cool and separate
8
Pour off the clear butter and discard the remaining buttermilk and flavourings
9
In a separate pan, reduce the wine, port, vinegar, shallots and sugar until the mixture is syrupy. Mix the syrup and the butter together and add the cranberries, chopped garlic, thyme and pine nuts
10
Bring back to a simmer for a minute to soften the cranberries. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm
11
To make the garnish, dice the potato into 1cm cubes and cook in simmering water for 5 minutes or until just tender, then drain thoroughly
12
Trim and blanch the Brussels sprouts and chop the chestnuts. Heat a sauté pan and add some oil. When the oil is hot add the potatoes and start to colour all over
  • 36 Brussels sprouts
  • 10 chestnuts
  • 2 tbsp of rapeseed oil
13
After 1 minute, add the sprouts and continue to cook. When the potatoes and sprouts are golden add the chestnuts, sage and a knob of butter. Season and drain off any excess butter. Keep warm
14
To cook the fish, bring a large pan of water to the simmer. Place the fish, still in the cling film casing, into the water and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the water and rest for 5 minutes
15
Put a non-stick pan onto the heat and add a little oil. Cut the fish out of the cling film, reserving the juices for the dressing. Add the fish to the pan, season with salt and colour until golden
16
Finish with a knob of butter and a few sage leaves. Remove from the pan and drain off any excess butter. Add the juices from the fish to the dressing
17
To plate, spoon the vegetable garnish onto four warm plates in equal portions. Slice each piece of monkfish into 3 pieces and lay these on top, and spoon over the warm dressing

Nathan Outlaw cooks with understated brilliance and passionate respect for primary ingredients.

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