![]() When prompted for the name of the recipe, he called it Lobster - with an American Sauce. A group of clients arrived in his restaurant, Peter's, and he realised all he had was tomorrow's lobster: so he rustled up a lobster dish in a tomato sauce, reminiscent of his native South with Breton overtones. The story dates back to the end of the 19th century when it was created by French chef Pierre Fraisse, originally from Sète who had returned to Paris from working in the USA. The sauce à l’Armoricaine is a traditional French recipe from coastal Brittany where it is most commonly prepared with shellfish, or used to flavour firm white-fleshed fish such as La Lotte or Monkfish– otherwise known as poor man’s lobster. Let me tell you the story of the two names, although it's a bit rough around the edges and can't find any more on the subject. In our French gourmet dictionary, Larousse Gastronomique, it has another French name for this dish: Lotte à L'Américaine.īoth names refer to the SAME dish, although the Breton Armoricaine version adds a touch of crème fraîche at the end of cooking. Later, I discovered this monkfish dish on some Parisian restaurant menus as Lotte à l’Américaine. Had they made a mistake? No. Lotte à L'Américaine or Lotte à L'Armoricaine? However, served as this popular classic French monkfish stew, you’ll discover just how a simple fish dish can be taken to another level. I often read in French cookbooks that the best way to serve monkfish is either roasted or grilled. I add more garlic and a hint of Cayenne pepper to give it that intriguing and subtle kick. ![]() It was so good, that I eventually managed to persuade them to tell me the recipe and, over the years, I've made it in this way. The fish was firm and tasty and somehow the fish hadn't disintegrated into the sauce. These smaller pieces of monkfish are sometimes called collops. Remove from the water using a slotted spoon and drain well. Add the monkfish to the water and simmer for four or five minutes, until the fish is completely white throughout. It was the first time we were served fish for the main course at a French dinner and boy, did it leave a delicious mark on me. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. It's a regional speciality of Brittany: a chic yet simple French Monkfish stew, Lotte à l’Armoricaine is cooked in white wine, garlic, onions and tomatoes with that extra French touch of being flambéed with Cognac. When first starting out in Paris in 1992, I remember being bowled over by this dish cooked by Antoine’s friends. ![]() This served with a suitably tangy sauerkraut is a really memorable way to enjoy monkfish for a special occasion at home.A Popular French Fish Stew For Special Occasions Sear the wrapped monkfish fillets in a hot frying pan for 1-2 minutes before transferring to the pre-heated oven at 200☌ for another 8-10 minutes. By wrapping the subtle fish in salty ham you’re not only adding flavour but also a layer of protection to the fillets of fish. Rick’s classic recipe for roast monkfish with Parma ham and sauerkraut does exactly this. This will pick up all the flavours left behind after cooking.Īs mentioned above, it works well to combine pan-frying and roasting to help keep the monkfish nice and moist, whilst imparting maximum flavour into your dish. When pan-frying monkfish, you can also make a simple sauce/dressing by deglazing the pan with some balsamic vinegar. Pan-frying a fillet of monkfish is exactly the same as pan-frying a chicken breast, start with a little oil in the pan and finish with some foaming butter to add colour and flavour. Make sure you pat the fish dry beforehand - this will help to get a good colour on the flesh and a good crack of pepper and sprinkle of salt is also a must. Pan-frying works really well with monkfish as it’s so meaty. If you don’t remove the membrane it will shrink during cooking and cause the monkfish to distort and become tough. Pull off the thin membrane that encases the fillets, releasing it with the knife where necessary. Remove the two fillets by cutting along either slide of the thick backbone with a sharp, thin-bladed, flexible knife, keeping the blade as close to the bone as you can.Ĥ. Grab hold of the wider end of the tail in one hand and the skin in the other and briskly pull it away, down over the tail.ģ. Release and pull back some of the skin at the wider end of the tail so that you can get a sharp, flexible-bladed knife underneath to cut through the fine dorsal spines.Ģ. First remove the skin from the monkfish tail. ![]() If you purchase a whole tail with the skin on, you’ll need to follow these steps to prepare it for cooking (alternatively, ask your fishmonger to do the hard work for you – we always sell it ready to cook).ġ. As mentioned above, the tail has one central bone that divides two fillets. Monkfish tend to landed without their rather scary, over-sized heads in tact – which means most monkfish is available to buy as a tail.
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