Fish Recipes for Good Friday - George Hughes Fishmonger

Step 1

In a pestle and mortar or Flavour Shaker, smash up 2 teaspoons of salt with the lemon zest and rosemary and rub this all over the fish fillets. Put the fillets in a dish in the fridge and let them sit there for an hour.Now make your black olive sauce by mixing all the ingredients except the vinegar together. You want the sauce to have the consistency of a coarse salsa. Then carefully balance the flavours with the vinegar to taste.If you’re roasting your monkfish, preheat your oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7 just before the fish comes out of the fridge. Pat the fish dry with some kitchen paper and then pat it with a little olive oil.Peel and halve your potatoes. Put them into a pot of salted, boiling water and cook until tender. Then drain and mash up with 6 tablespoons of olive oil and a good swig of milk. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. If you want to get your mash really smooth and creamy you can use a spatula to push the potato through a sieve once or twice. It doesn’t make it taste any better but it will make it silky smooth, shiny and lovely. If it needs thinning with a little extra milk, feel free.To roast the monkfish, heat a large ovenproof frying pan, add a splash of olive oil and fry the fillets in the pan for 2 minutes. Then turn them over and put the pan in your preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.To grill, place the the butterflied fillets on a hot griddle pan and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Whichever way you cook it serve the fish and the juices with a good dollop of the mashed potato, the black olive sauce and a little rocket dressed with the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Step 2

For the lentils: put in a medium bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside for 30 minutes, then drain.Heat the 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan and add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, leek and the pancetta. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the veg are soft but not coloured.Tie the rosemary, bay leaves and sage together with string and add to the pan with the lentils. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until the lentils start to stick to the base of the pan. Don’t season at this point, as salt will make the lentils harden.Add around a litre of vegetable stock (enough to cover the lentils by 2cm) and keep the rest hot on the hob in case you need it. Bring the pan to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 45 minutes until the lentils are soft, adding more stock if they get too dry. Remove and discard the pancetta (see tips) and herbs, then set aside; keep the stock warm.For the parsley sauce, put the bunch of parsley and 100ml olive oil in a mini food processor and pulse to a green sauce (or pound in a pestle and mortar or finely chop by hand).For the dressing, put the salt in a bowl, then add the vinegars and stir to dissolve the salt. Whisk in the olive oil and 4 tbsp cold water until the mixture emulsifies (see make ahead).For the salad, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the broccoli for 2-3 minutes, depending on the size of the florets. Drain, then put into iced water to stop the broccoli cooking and keep its bright colour.Drain the broccoli and dry on kitchen paper. Put the chilli oil and garlic oil (see tips) in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the broccoli and toss to warm, then put in a serving dish and toss with the chilli strips and 25ml of the dressing. Scatter over all the almonds.Season the fish well. Heat 2 non-stick frying pans (or use one large pan) and divide the vegetable oil between them. When smoking hot, put in the fish fillets, skin-side down; press them down with a fish slice and check underneath every now and then – the skin should turn crisp and golden. The flesh will begin to turn opaque in 4-5 minutes. When it’s white almost all the way through, turn the fish over. Add the butter to the pan(s).When the butter is foaming, put the lentils back on the heat. They should have a risotto consistency, so if necessary add a bit of the reserved hot stock or drain off some liquid. Add the chopped parsley and stir in the butter. Season.Spoon the lentils onto the plates. Tilt the fish pan(s) towards you so you can spoon the buttery juices over the fish, then put a piece on top of each serving of lentils. Drizzle with the parsley sauce, then serve with the broccoli salad.