Today while grocery shopping at Central Market ( a two hour procedure by the way ), I visited the seafood specialists and asked for something I hadn't tried yet. They brought out something from the back that I really hadn't tried! Monkfish. I'd heard about it on Top Chef (my favorite show), but never really considered it an option before. It was 15.99 a lb, so not bad and I bought just one pound. I decided to really doll up tonights meal for the kids. They really love eating new foods, so I thought they would get a kick out of this. Nathan, my future marine biologist had to inform us all about the Monkfish. See description below.
The monkfish, known variously as the goosefish, anglerfish, or "allmouth," is a large, ugly, benthic (bottom-dwelling) fish found in the coastal Atlantic area. Its size ranges up to about three feet, and its body is composed mainly of a huge, gaping mouth attached to a muscular tail. The monkfish is an anglerfish; its spine ends in a flexible, extensible cord which it dangles for use as a fishing lure.
Anyways....it was fantastic. It's texture is the same as lobster and the meat is very sweet. I had a hard time trying to come up with a good sauce to compliment the taste, when I hadn't tasted it before, but, in the end, it turned out good with just a citrus, butter, vinegar emulsion drizzled on the plate. I butterflied the shrimp and sauteed in peanut oil and placed on top of the seared monkfish. Then couscous underneath which I wont do again. No one ate it and it wasn't very complimentary to the fish. The brocolli rabe and Chinese long beans were a big hit and I can't wait to cook them again. I love cooking like this but I realized tonight how hard it is to layer a dish and make all the elements compliment each other. I am a separates cooker and it was a little intimidating tonight. Oh well, it could have been worse. Tomorrow night we are having a lamb roast for the first time. Does anyone have any good flavors that work well with lamb?
3 comments:
We ate tons of lamb in Turkey. Love it! I'd use rosemary, thyme, and mint - and garlic, of course. The lamb itself has a fabulous flavor, so you won't need to do much to it. Yum!
Okay so when do we get to come over for dinner?! Just kidding! Seriously though, you are making me drool on my keyboard. Your kids are lucky to have a mom that loves to cook. I on the otherhand just find it one more thing I have to do each day and don't tend to get too creative. SIGH! Maybe I should take a cooking class or something. Where did you get so inspired to be so creative with food?
Corey,
You guys are welcome to come anytime! I get inspired by cooking shows like Iron Chef and Top Chef.
I love new tastes and refining my palette. I could teach you the basics and you could have so much fun!
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