Recipes

"Coda di Rospo Grigliata con Pepperonata"

I have fond memories of this dish watching my Grandmother skewer pieces of monkfish onto rosemary sprigs she had picked moments before, before roasting them in olive oil in her outdoor oven. Although we don’t all cook ‘al fresco’, here I have adapted the recipe to suit modern living. This dish has a simplicity which makes the individual flavours speak for themselves. The monkfish is marinated a few hours in advance which allows the dense meaty texture of the fish to soak up the flavour of the rosemary and lemon, evoking terrific flavours of Italy and the Mediterranean.

Serves 4

• 800g monkfish tails
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 4 Sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 lemon

For the Pepperonata:

• 2 red peppers, cored, seeded & sliced
• 2 yellow peppers, cored, seeded & sliced
• 300g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tablespoon salted capers – rinsed
• 1 tablespoon Chianti vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 red chilli, sliced (optional, but It really works!)
• 2 sprigs flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 200g pitted Gaeta olives (or green olives)

Start ahead by marinating your monkfish tails for at least two hours in 3 tbsp Olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Keep refrigerated.

To make your pepperonata heat some olive oil in a large heavy based pan on a medium heat. Meanwhile thinly slice the cloves of garlic and set aside. To the oil, add your sliced peppers, toss together, and cook while frequently stirring until the peppers are tender and nicely softened (about 10 minutes). Add to the peppers the sliced garlic and sliced red chilli, turn the heat to high. Stir together for 1 minute to blend the flavours, then add the Chianti vinegar, capers, cherry tomatoes and green olives. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cook for a further 2 minutes and remove from heat. Add the parsley and set aside until needed.

To cook the fish, heat a griddle pan on high till it stars smoking. Add the marinated pieces of monkfish tails and cook on each side for about 3 minutes. Then turn the heat down to medium and turn once more in the opposite direction, so as to have a criss cross pattern on the fish. The fish will be cooked when it is firm to touch. Turn off the heat and remove the fish from the griddle pan.

To serve, place some pepperonata on the bottom of a warmed plate and top with a piece of grilled monkfish. Drizzle with some olive oil and garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley and lemon wedges.