Recipe Monk Fish ( Angler Fish, Lophilade )

[Francesca]

Mionk fish, or Angler fish, is from the Lophius Piscatorius family of fish. It had been indigenious to Galicia, where it was named Verdadero, " True Fish " ..

The Basque call it Zapo Beltz, and the Spaniards call it " Ra pe " .. In Catalonia, we call it, Granota de Mar, which denotes " Enormous Fish " ..

Monk fish has often been called " The Poor Man´s Lobster " because of the texture being quite similar.

The carnivorous Monk fish is quite a large catch and looks like an ugly ugly huge, "cat fish" with an extremely large head.

This fish is a sailor´s heaven on earth and the sauce, which is served separately is called: Matelot which consists of fresh red ripe de-seeded and peeled tomato, Almonds, Garlic, Smoked Paprika and Pine Nuts or Hazelnuts and day old bread sautéed in Evoo.

I just grill mine and prepare the Matelot Sauce separately ..

The Monkfish:

1 Kilo of Monk fish ( ask your Fish Monger to cut into thick slices as in Photo )
50 Ml. Evoo or 1 / 3 Cup
200 Grams of leek and shallots ( 100 grams of each ) - Minced Finely.
300 grams of fresh red ripe tomatoes de - seeded and peeled ..
1 clove of minced garlic ( however, you can add 2 cloves depending on size of the cloves )
60 grams of toasted almonds ( toast them in sauté skillet )
2 tblsps of pine nuts or hazelnuts
2 thick slices of day old Baguette
1/2 cup of water
salt to taste
Smoked Pimentón ( smoked paprika ) .. La Vera, Extremadura .. It is sold world wide in Latin American Grocers or sections of main supermarkets ..

1) Wash the monk fish and allow to drain.
2) Heat some Evoo in a skillet and sauté the shallots and leeks ( minced )
3) When the shallots & leeks soften, add the minced tomatoes and sauté gently, to form a Pesto type texture.
4) Now, add some minced fresh parsley and smoked paprika .. Stir clockwise and remove from the stove.
5) Crush the garlic clove in a Mortar and put in the almonds, the pine nuts and the sautéed bread cubes or you can place in a food processor if you wish ..
6) Add the tomato mixture and blend thoroughly while adding a lttle wáter, depending on the "salsa" or pesto texture you prefer.
7) Now, place a bit of the sauce, to make a bed, for the fish. In other words, lay your Monkfish in a large "earthenware " or oven glass casserole if you prefer, and season the fish with salt and place gently on top of a bit of the sauce ..
8) *** I have grilled mine this time for 15 minutes instead of preparing on the sauce ..
9) You shall see the photo: shows a grilled slab of Monkfish ..
10) Serve the sauce or salsa on the side in a sauceboat ..

 

[Morning Glory]

I love monkfish and have several recipes using it. I don't think I've posted any up. Its a very versatile fish and can hold its own in strong tasting sauces.

 

[Francesca]

I love monkfish and have several recipes using it. I don't think I've posted any up. Its a very versatile fish and can hold its own in strong tasting sauces.

@morning glory,

I am very fond of Monkfish too ..

It pairs perfectly with a wide variety of sauces and sweet & sour salsas too .. And kebabs on grill !

This was just very simple .. We eat out alot while we are working & travelling, so at home, we like Mediterranean simple !

Have a lovely weekend ..

 

[buckytom]

Franny, please stop looking up things and posting them when you really don't know much about it.

Monkfish and Anglerfish ars slightly different species, and you only mentioned the full Latin name of one the European ones.

Your recipe by itself would have been fine.

Now, please don't "like" this response. Or wish me a lovely anything. Overkill makes it appear insincere and is irritating. All of this could end up driving people away.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Excellent write-up on much more than just how to prepare the fish. I also have heard the term poor man's lobster applied to monkfish, for the reasons you say, but it's not exactly cheap here, if you can even find it. I did find a fish market that has it for $13.99/pound...frozen. But, not being a native of these waters, I suppose that's not so bad.

 

[buckytom]

This took me all of 30 seconds to look up and copy:

There are lots of related species around the world and the terms Angler fish and Monkfish may refer to different (or occasionally the same) species depending on the source of your information but most British anglers (that's the people not the fish) would recognoise two different species and to avoid confusion the latin names are:

The Angler fish - Lophius Piscatorius
The Monkfish - Squatina Squatina

If you google the latin names you'll be able to easily distinquish between the two.

I think some of the confusion may be due to the fishmongering/catering trade seeking to deliberately mislead people. Monkfish is well known as a prime table fish but frankly Angler fish is very similar in appearance (once gutted, skinned and prepared for the fishmongers slab) and therefore valuable - if it is called Monkfish.

If someone chooses to call it Monkfish then it is Monkfish! (Even though we know it's not).

And:

The true monkfish (Squatina squatina) aka Angel Shark is becoming increasingly rare and with fragmented populations is in danger of extinction. I doubt if nowadays it ever gets sold for human consumption.
The angler fish (Lophius piscatorius) is not even a member of the shark family, but it is confusingly called monkfish by commercial fishermen and those in the fish trade. This fish is often sold in supermarkets and restaurants, but nearly always as a skinned tail.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

The Angler fish - Lophius Piscatorius
The Monkfish - Squatina Squatina

Well, MY internet showed me this:

Members of the genus Lophius, also sometimes called monkfish, fishing-frogs, frog-fish and sea-devils.
Lophius piscatorius, commonly known as the angler, is a monkfish in the family Lophiidae.
Squatina squatina, the angelshark or monkfish, is a species of shark in the family Squatinidae (known generally also as angel sharks)

So, a lot of things are monkfish, apparently, even sharks. And, everything on the internet is true.

 

[buckytom]

Is that from Wiki? If so, they are incorrect. Anyone can edit Wiki.

I posted this not only from personal knowledge, but also from other fishermen. I try not to eat overfished species.

 

[Cinisajoy]

Is that from Wiki? If so, they are incorrect. Anyone can edit Wiki.

I posted this not only from personal knowledge, but also from other fishermen. I try not to eat overfished species.

You mean Monkfish isn't just a fish that went to the seminary.
By the way, I have never seen or eaten a Monkfish.
Bass, trout and catfish are more popular down here. Note: there are many varieties of the first two.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Is that from Wiki? If so, they are incorrect. Anyone can edit Wiki.

I posted this not only from personal knowledge, but also from other fishermen. I try not to eat overfished species.

Partly from Wiki (which always shows up at the top of search results for such things), and partly from the following:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/198610/3

The above is an endangered species site, along the lines of what you said about avoiding overfished species. And, there, they say, among other things:

Scientific Name: Lophius piscatorius
Species Authority: Linnaeus, 1758
Common Name(s):
English – Angler, Anglerfish, Angler fish, Monk, Monkfish
French – Baudroie, Baudroie Commune, Lotte, Marache
Spanish – Rape, Rape Blanco, Xuliana

Is everyone else wrong, then?

 

[Francesca]

This took me all of 30 seconds to look up and copy:

There are lots of related species around the world and the terms Angler fish and Monkfish may refer to different (or occasionally the same) species depending on the source of your information but most British anglers (that's the people not the fish) would recognoise two different species and to avoid confusion the latin names are:

The Angler fish - Lophius Piscatorius
The Monkfish - Squatina Squatina

If you google the latin names you'll be able to easily distinquish between the two.

I think some of the confusion may be due to the fishmongering/catering trade seeking to deliberately mislead people. Monkfish is well known as a prime table fish but frankly Angler fish is very similar in appearance (once gutted, skinned and prepared for the fishmongers slab) and therefore valuable - if it is called Monkfish.

If someone chooses to call it Monkfish then it is Monkfish! (Even though we know it's not).

And:

The true monkfish (Squatina squatina) aka Angel Shark is becoming increasingly rare and with fragmented populations is in danger of extinction. I doubt if nowadays it ever gets sold for human consumption.
The angler fish (Lophius piscatorius) is not even a member of the shark family, but it is confusingly called monkfish by commercial fishermen and those in the fish trade. This fish is often sold in supermarkets and restaurants, but nearly always as a skinned tail.

@buckytom,

The name of the Book that I confer with is called: The Tio Pepe Guide to the Seafood & Fish of Spain & Portugal ( there is a series ) and it was written by a British Expatriate, Author Alan Davidson, from Santana Books in southern Andalusia, Spain ..

Now according to this author, Angler Fish is just another English language name for Monkfish ..

In American English according to the Author, Monkfish is called " Goose Fish " .. It is very common amongst The Portuguese Expatriates ..

Here at the La Mercat de La Boqueria, of Barcelona, the largest central Market in the city and región, sells it and the enormous head of the fish is used in many fish stews throughout the country.

I will ask my Fish Monger, whom we know since time memorial, the Latin name of the fish ..

The Monkfish I buy is wild, fresh and on ice via transport from the sea to the market ..

This is all I can tell you at the momento.

It was amazingly exquisite as always ..

Have a lovely weekend ..

 

[buckytom]

Yes, I know that there are many varieties on monks: Capuchin, Buddhist, Trappist, etc..

 

[Francesca]

Partly from Wiki (which always shows up at the top of search results for such things), and partly from the following:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/198610/3

The above is an endangered species site, along the lines of what you said about avoiding overfished species. And, there, they say, among other things:

Scientific Name: Lophius piscatorius
Species Authority: Linnaeus, 1758
Common Name(s):
English – Angler, Anglerfish, Angler fish, Monk, Monkfish
French – Baudroie, Baudroie Commune, Lotte, Marache
Spanish – Rape, Rape Blanco, Xuliana

Is everyone else wrong, then?

@The Late Night Gourmet,

Yes, I see ..


Catalan: Granota del mar ( the enormous fish )

Basque: Zapo / Zuri

Portuguese: Tambori

French: Braudoie is most common

Spanish: Rape ( ra pei )

In Babo, an indigenious tongue in Asturias, Apple Cider Country, in the north west central, part of Spain, it is called: Pixin ..

Galician: Xuliana or Sapo Peixe ..


I have not read the Wiki Pedia on this fish variety however, thank you for posting all the names in different languages ..

Have a lovely weekend ..

 

[buckytom]

Partly from Wiki (which always shows up at the top of search results for such things), and partly from the following:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/198610/3

The above is an endangered species site, along the lines of what you said about avoiding overfished species. And, there, they say, among other things:

Scientific Name: Lophius piscatorius
Species Authority: Linnaeus, 1758
Common Name(s):
English – Angler, Anglerfish, Angler fish, Monk, Monkfish
French – Baudroie, Baudroie Commune, Lotte, Marache
Spanish – Rape, Rape Blanco, Xuliana

Is everyone else wrong, then?

Not wrong, just incomplete info.

People who are know it alls are annoying to those of us who really do...

But seriously, a little knowledge can he dangerous, like in terms of extinction.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Not wrong, just incomplete info.

People who are know it alls are annoying to those of us who really do...

But seriously, a little knowledge can he dangerous, like in terms of extinction.

This gives me an idea for a new thread about confusing multiple names that some fish have (and, it does seem to be just sea creatures).