Monkfish – an extraordinary fish dish

Monkfish with Sepia-Pasta and Tomato Sauce

Monkfish – an extraordinary fish dish

October 10th, 2018 | main dishes

Monkfish is generally a delicacy, no question. In this recipe the solid fish comes with black, sea-aromatic spaghetti. Together with the tomato sauce, which is deglazed with vodka and refined with vanilla, the plate convinces by strong, bright colors, phantastic flavors, bite-proof fish and very special pasta – all topped off with a little fresh mint. A feast for all senses!

Sepia pasta is available in many delis or well-stocked supermarkets. If you want to make the pasta yourself, you can do it according to my proven recipe for homemade pasta. You simply add a tablespoon of squid ink (to be ordered from the fishmonger) to the basic recipe. This colors the noodles deep black and gives them a nice, “sea-like” aroma.

I bought the squid ink in Hamburg from Calpesa. This is the specialist for Spanish food. By the way, you can also eat very good tapas there …

Monkfish with black pasta and tomato-vanilla sauce

(serves 4)

Tomato-vanilla sauce

1 large onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 TS olive oil

braise onion and garlic in olive oil until glassy

2 ts of vanilla sugar

add and let it caramelize shortly

1 kg of fully ripe tomatoes, diced

add, simmer

1 vanilla pod

cut in half lengthwise, scrape out, add the pulp and the pod to the tomatoes

50 ml of vodka

deglaze the tomato sauce with the vodka, simmer for 20-30 minutes until creamy

1 orange, untreated

grate off the peel

8-10 mint leaves, cut into strips

add orange peel and mint to the sauce

1 TS balsamic vinegar

sea salt, pepper from the mill

season the sauce, keep warm

Sepia-Pasta

400 g sepia spaghetti or tagliatelle (alternatively prepare fresh pasta with 1 TS octopus ink)

cook according to the package instructions

Monkfish

600 g of monkfish medallions

3 TS olive oil

sauté fillets in oil for about 3 minutes each side, the fish should take some color

sea salt, pepper from the mill

season the fillet, arrange with the spaghetti and the tomato sauce

sprinkle with pepper, drizzle with a few drops of orange juice and garnish with herbs and citrus zest

And this is how the wife of the captain does it:

If you use tomatoes without skin, the sauce will be even finer. For this purpose, carve the tomato sauce over the stem crosswise, add it briefly to boiling water, lift it out with the skimmer, and quench it cold. Then the skin can be easily removed. Anyhow, I personally use unskinned tomatoes for almost all my sauces.

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March 18th, 2018 | main dishes

Fish market? No, homie, „FrischeParadies“ [paradise of freshness]!

Thirty years ago you could buy super fresh fish directly at the fish market in Hamburg. Today, only a handful of cutters are pinning at the pontoon of the fish auction hall. So where do the Hamburg people buy fish today, especially if they don‘t want to get up Sunday morning at 4 o’clock? I swear on FrischeParadies. Nowhere else in Hamburg you’ll find such a well-stocked and wonderfully presented fish display as in FrischeParadies. And where do you find this paradise for foodies? Of course, in the Große Elbstraße [Great Elbe Street]. Where else.