| GRILLED
MONKFISH WITH MUSSELS AND WILTED SPINACH
recipe from Bradley Ogden's
Breakfast,
Lunch & Dinner
Yield:
6 servings
- 2 pounds monkfish fillet, skin removed
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 24 fresh mussels
- 1/8 teaspoon saffron threads (optional)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 shallot, peeled and minced
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seed
- 2 bunches fresh spinach, stemmed and
washed
- 2 Tablespoons softened unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
(Dried should not be used; if fresh is not available, increase
parsley to 2 tablespoons)
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
Cut monkfish fillet on the bias into 3/8-inch-thick
slices. Season lightly with salt and pepper, brush with 2
tablespoons of the olive oil, and set aside. Scrub mussels
in several changes of cold water and pull off beards. If using
the saffron, soak threads in the white wine for several minutes.
When ready to serve, grill the monkfish
over hot coals, cooking for several minutes on each side.
Remove and keep warm. Heat the white wine in a covered pan
with the tomato, shallot, garlic, and fennel seed. Add the
mussels and cook over moderate heat until all the mussels
have opened. Wilt the spinach in a large sauté pan with the
remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, seasoning with salt
and pepper. Remove the mussels from the pan and keep warm
with the fish. Swirl the 2 tablespoons of butter into the
hot mussel cooking liquid and add the chopped herbs.
Arrange a small bed of spinach in the center
of each plate and place the slices of fish over the spinach.
Put 4 steamed mussels around the edge of the plate and top
the monkfish with a spoonful or so of the mussel cooking liquid,
including some of the vegetables from the pan. Be careful
to avoid any sand that may be in the bottom of the pan.
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