Monkfish Ragout

I thought of this dish when I saw a fine monkfish tail on a fish counter and found new Jersey Royals in the veg section. Monkfish can be tricky, but it's truly excellent cooked this way. Just remember to remove the outer layers of grey 'film'. It peels back towards the tail quite nicely.

Ingredients:

1 monkfish tail
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 yellow pepper
olive oil
salt & freshly-ground black pepper
large glass of white vermouth
splash of tomato passata
Fresh green herb (I chose fennel leaves, but tarragon or even thyme would do)

Remove the monkfish from the bone by cutting down each side of the spine. Chop the spine into pieces and set to simmer gently with about 500 ml of water. Half the potatoes lengthwise and throw them into the stock pot, making sure they're under the surface of the water. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok and soften the onion for a few minutes without taking on any colour. Add the garlic and sliced yellow pepper. When softened a bit, add the vermouth and passata and give it a stir. The spuds should be nearly cooked, so rescue them from the stock pot and add to the sauce. Strain some of the monkfish stock onto the sauce and stir everything together. After a minute or two add the monkfish, cut into bite-sized pieces. Stir it all together, making sure to break a spud or two. Throw in the green herb and check salt and pepper. Add drops of lemon juice if required.

Serve with mayonnaise and french mustard.

Yum.