Pan-roasted monkfish and king prawns with salsa verde

Method

1. Peel the shallot and garlic. Wash and deseed the chilli. Roughly chop them all and pop them into a food processor. Pulse them until they are finely chopped and then transfer them to a bowl.

2. Add the red wine vinegar and allow them to macerate for about five minutes, before straining off the vinegar, keeping it to one side until later. You can chop the lot by hand of course, but the food processor will make quick work of it, and save you some time and effort. Just make sure to pulse rather than whizz, you want everything to be finely chopped rather than pureed.

3. Wash and dry the herbs. Finely chop them and set them to one side. You will make up the salsa verde just before you serve so that is fresh and herby. If you add the vinegar and shallots at this stage, the herbs will oxidise and turn a little brown which will not look so appealing.

4. Lightly season the monkfish fillets with a little flaky sea salt. Divide them into the number of portions you want to serve.

5. Heat a non-stick pan over high heat, and add a splash of olive oil. Add the monkfish to the pan and cook until golden brown on one side, then turn over and cook on the other side. Do not move the fish around in the pan too much as this will stop it from getting a lovely golden-brown coating and it may also break up the fish.

6. When the fish is nicely coloured, add the butter to the pan. When it has melted and started to foam up, use a spoon to baste the fish with the butter, cooking it for another few minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, take the fish to 50° Celsius and it will be perfect. Finish it with a squeeze of lemon and remove from the pan.

7. Rest the monkfish on a board for a few minutes while you cook the prawns and finish off the salsa verde.

8. Pop the prawns into the same pan and cook them, stirring occasionally to make sure they are evenly cooked, beautifully pink all over and coated in the lovely juices and butter from the pan. This will only take a few minutes. When they are done, remove the pan from the heat and set to one side.

9. Time now to finish the salsa verde. Chop the capers and the anchovies if you are using them, and add both to the bowl with the onions, garlic, and chilli. Add the caper brine, extra virgin olive oil and the chopped herbs and a tablespoon of the reserved red wine vinegar. Stir everything well to combine.

10. Taste, and season with a little flaky sea salt if needed, and some black pepper. Add a little more of the reserved wine vinegar if you want a bit more tartness.

11. Plate up a piece of the monkfish and some prawns per person and drizzle a generous amount of the salsa over the top.

12. Serve with a simple salad, some crusty bread and maybe a nice cold glass of white wine.