Monkfish, cedar and basque whisky
- 4
- 4 hours
This beautiful monkfish dish from Elena Arzak uses monkfish in four different ways - the monkfish liver is used in a mojo sauce, and as a marinade for monkfish loin, thin slivers of Basque whiskey and cedar-smoked monkfish are shaved into paper thin circles, and the skins are deep fried into crisps. It’s served alongside a crunchy spinach pasta tile and an airy avocado meringue. In the restaurant, Chef Arzak crimps the spinach pasta with corrugated metal sheets in the deep fryer, but they can also be fried straight.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Monkfish liver mojo sauce
- 200g of monkfish liver
- 1/2 spring onion, thinly sliced and fried in olive oil over a low heat
- 50g of brandy
- 1 sun-dried tomato
- 2 tsp Ñora pepper paste
- 1/2 garlic clove
- oil
- salt
- coarsely ground black pepper
Monkfish Loin
- 1 monkfish loin, cut into four
- coarse sea salt, enough to cover the monkfish
Monkfish Circles
- 250ml of brandy, mixed with the cedar wood chops, for smoking the monkfish circles
- 100g of monkfish loin
- 80g of coarse sea salt
Monkfish skin crisps
- 1.5l water
- 500g of monkfish skin
- 1 leek, greens parts only, roughly sliced
- 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- vegetable oil, for frying
- salt
Whiskey sauce
- 250g of sun-dried tomatoes
- 50g of butter, melted
- 350g of chicken stock
- 45g of whiskey
- 50g of sake
- 10g of cane sugar
- 1/2 orange, zested
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Avocado meringue
- 1 avocado
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tsp olive oil
- salt
- 90g of Italian meringue
Spinach tile
- 120g of spinach
- 1 medium egg
- 100g of water
- 300g of plain flour
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 6g of salt
- vegetable oil, for frying
Equipment
- Thermomix
- Pasta machine
- Smoker
Method
Clean the monkfish livers well, and chop into small pieces
- 200g of monkfish liver
Sauté the monkfish livers in a pan. Once they have turned golden, add the poached spring onion. Sauté well and flambé with the brandy
- 1/2 spring onion, thinly sliced and fried in olive oil over a low heat
- 50g of brandy
Using a mortar and pestle, pound all the remaining ingredients
- 2 tsp Ñora pepper paste
Once this is done, add the cooked liver and spring onion mixture to the mortar and mash again
Place a pan on the heat and add a little oil. Transfer the mixture from the mortar and pestle to the hot pan, and sauté. Season with salt and pepper
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve, so that it becomes creamy. Set aside
For the mojo monkfish, cover the four pieces of monkfish loin in salt for 3 minutes
- 1 monkfish loin, cut into four
Wash off the salt with cold water. Dry thoroughly
Spread the loins with the monkfish liver mojo sauce
Cook the monkfish on a plancha (cast iron griddle pan)
For the monkfish circles, drain the whiskey-soaked wood chips and add them to a smoker
- 250ml of brandy, mixed with the cedar wood chops, for smoking the monkfish circles
Cover the monkfish with coarse sea salt for 7 minutes
- 100g of monkfish loin
- 80g of coarse sea salt
Remove the salt, using a damp cloth, and dry the fish well
Smoke the monkfish with the whiskey-soaked cedar wood for 7 minutes
Shape into a cylinder using cling film, and freeze until solid. This will be sliced into thin circles just before serving
For the monkfish skin crisps, place the water, monkfish skin, leek, onion and salt in a pan. Cook over a medium heat for 90 minutes, then blend. Strain out the liquid
- 1.5l water
- 500g of monkfish skin
- 1 leek, greens parts only, roughly sliced
- 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- salt
Place the mixture into square moulds and freeze until sold
Slice the frozen monkfish skin mixture into 5mm slices. Pat dry
Deep fry the monkfish skins for just a few seconds. Season with salt and set aside
- vegetable oil, for frying
- salt
For the whiskey sauce, bring the sun-dried tomatoes, butter, chicken stock, whiskey, sake, sugar, orange zest and some salt and pepper to a simmer
- 250g of sun-dried tomatoes
- 50g of butter, melted
- 350g of chicken stock
- 45g of whiskey
- 50g of sake
- 10g of cane sugar
- 1/2 orange, zested
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Blend the mixture together and then strain. Season to taste
Fold the avocado paste into the meringue. Set aside
- 90g of Italian meringue
For the spinach tile, mix the spinach together with the egg in the Thermomix
- 120g of spinach
- 1 medium egg
Add the water, plain flour, olive oil and salt and mix again
- 100g of water
- 300g of plain flour
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 6g of salt
Next, knead the mixture in a bowl until it does not stick to your hands. Let it rest, covered, for 30 minutes
Roll out the dough in a pasta machine until you reach the thinnest setting
Cut into 10x7cm squares, and deep fry until crisp. Set aside
- vegetable oil, for frying
To serve, first thinly slice the frozen monkfish circles. Place the monkfish circles in the middle of the plate, and top with the avocado meringue
Dress the mojo-marinated monkfish with extra sauce and place it to one side of the plate. Lean a spinach pasta crisp against it. Dot remaining sauce next to the fish
Break up the fried monkfish skins and arrange on the other side of the plate
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