Aishling Moore: Monkfish might be a ‘poor man’s lobster’ but it's the star of this dinner recipe

Aishling Moore's Monkfish cheek escabeche with aubergine. Picture: Chani Anderson

We eat quite a bit of monkfish in this country, mostly in our restaurants.

Nine times out of 10 it’s the skinned tails we’d be chowing down on, which only account for between 60–65% of the total weight of this bottom-dwelling predator.

Monkfish is often referred to as “the poor man’s lobster” as it has a similar firm and dense texture to the crustacean. I also often hear it referred to as the “chicken of the sea”. One would think a fish with such distinctive features might be deserving of a description without comparisons. That said, I did enjoy when fishmonger Pat O’ Connell likened the oceanic beast to his mother-in-law.

I’m making the most of the other 35-40% this weekend with a monkfish cheek and aubergine escabeche. Monkfish cheeks are the part of this sea creature that I enjoy most and this process of cookery really shows them off.

Aubergines are a fruit I came to enjoy later in life, a divisive ingredient that’s often mishandled. Their fantastic fudgy texture can turn slimy if not treated appropriately.

Aubergine cookery requires a considered approach. They need to be cooked quickly and aggressively or slowly and gently. If I’m cooking them quickly they’ll always be salted before cooking.

In season now, I have been using lots of aubergine in my cooking. At the restaurant, we have been making a smoked aubergine puree. The aubergines are first sliced in half and scored, steamed for 15 minutes then hot smoked with Irish oak for three hours before blending until smooth with garlic, rapeseed oil and lemon juice.

Monkfish and Aubergine Escabeche

recipe by:Aishling Moore

Escabeche is a method of cookery where most often a protein is cooked in a flavoured and vinegared oil solution. Aubergines are also very well suited to this application.

Servings

2

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 large aubergine

• Fine sea salt

• 3 tbsp golden rapeseed oil

• 2 large garlic cloves, finely sliced

• 1 bay leaf

• 8 monkfish cheeks

• 2 tsp smoked paprika

• ½ tsp dried oregano

• 50ml apple cider vinegar

• 8 cherry tomatoes

• Juice of ½ lemon

• 2 sprigs of mint

• Sea salt flakes

Method

1. Remove the top of the aubergine, cut in half lengthways and slice into bite-sized chunks.

2. Place in a colander set over a large bowl and season generously with fine sea salt.

3. Toss well to coat and leave to sit for 30 minutes.

4. After 30 minutes, remove the aubergine from the colander shaking off the excess moisture and salt.

5. Place on kitchen towel and pat dry to remove excess moisture.

6. Place a large heavy-based frying pan on medium-low heat.

7. Warm 2 tbsp of oil and add the garlic and bay leaf.

8. Cook, stirring regularly until the garlic is golden brown and crisp. Approximately 5 minutes.

9. Using a slotted spoon remove the garlic and bay leaf from the pan. Discard the bay leaf and reserve the garlic.

10. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the aubergine.

11. Cook until golden brown on all sides. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

12. Take the monkfish cheeks out of the refrigerator and pat dry with kitchen towel to removeexcess moisture. Season with fine sea salt.

13. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan.

14. Place the cheeks in the pan,laying them away from you. Cook on one side for 1 minute and then flip.

15. Add the smoked paprika and dried oregano, toss and cook for another minute.

16. Add the vinegar to the pan and bring to the boil, cook to reduce by half.

17. Reduce the heat in the pan to low and reintroduce the garlic and aubergine to the pan to warm through.

18. Slice the tomatoes, dress with the lemon juice and season with sea salt flakes.

19. Off the heat, add the tomatoes to the pan, scatter with picked mint leaves and serve immediately.

Fish Tales

I’m salting the aubergine here to remove water, therefore intensifying the flavour.

You could swap the aubergine for courgette or a marrow, just be sure to follow the same salting process as for aubergines.

It’s essential to pat the aubergine dry and shake off any excess salt before adding to the pan.

When adding the monkfish cheeks into the pan, lay away from you to prevent oil splatters.

Instead of apple cider vinegar you could use white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar.

Feel free to make additions, such as a pinch of chilli powder a teaspoon or so of chopped thyme or rosemary, some blanched green beans or diced bell pepper.

Serve with warm crusty bread, steamed new potatoes or rice.