An ode to Anko (Monkfish)

"Monkfish Wrapped in Pancetta, Braised Leeks, White Wine Broth" 

I nice combo!

Delicious. Absolutely delicious. I think back to sitting in a dimly lit, bustling Chelsea restaurant on a Saturday night, my eyes are drawn to the monkfish. This was over 5 years ago.

Here in Japan, monkfish - known as Ankimo is a wintertime fish, to be consumed in a delicious hot-pot to warm the bones on a chilly night. As much as I enjoy that particular preparation. It was this first introduction to monkfish as a college student that has stuck with me.

As I remember it, the fish came on a bed of braised leeks topped with deep fried leek slivers as garnish, wrapped in a single piece of crisp, delicate pancetta.

This is my interpretation of the dish I had many years ago... I hope you enjoy it as well.


serves 2

2 monkfish filets, about 1/2 a pound each, cleaned.*(See note below)
1/4 lbs of Prosciutto, sliced thin
2 medium leeks
2 stalks of celery, fibrous bits removed with a vegetable peeler
2 tbsps all purpose flour
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Canola oil (For deep frying Garnish)
1 1/2 tbsps Unsalted Butter
2/3 cups heavy cream
1/2 glass of white wine (I used a Spanish White)
White pepper
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
A few sprigs of Lemon Thyme

Preheat oven to 400 F

1. Start by cutting off the tough green leaves then quarter the leeks lengthwise. Rinse thoroughly. reserve an upper two inch segment from half the leeks and slice into thin slivers along the grain. Toss with flour and a pinch of white pepper and set aside. Meanwhile, cut the rest into 1/4inch squares. Finely chop celery stalks.
2. Over high heat, sautee the leeks and celery with butter until softened, season with salt and white pepper. (do not allow leeks to brown)
3. Add the white wine and cook it down until leeks resume frying. Add the cream, turn the heat down to medium and simmer slowly until thickened. Adjust seasoning and set aside.
4.Cut monkfish into thirds horizontally to yield three nuggets. Season both sides with salt and black pepper. sprinkle on the thyme leaves (no stalks.)
5. Wrap each nugget with a slice of prosciutto. In an oven proof skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over high heat on the stove and quickly sear each nugget on both sides until prosciutto is browned and crispy.
6. Put the skillet into the middle rack of the oven for 8-10 minutes, until monkfish is cooked through.
7. While the fish is in the oven, fill a small saucepan with 2 inches of canola oil. Heat to deep frying temperature (340-350 F) and add the leek slivers from step one. Deep fry until crispy, drain on paper towels and set aside.

Assembly:

1. A couple of minutes before the fish is done, gently reheat the leeks in cream and wine.
2. Remove the fish from the oven and place on paper towels to absorb excess moisture
3. Spoon leek mixture onto the center of a round serving plate
4. Arrange the nuggets of fish around the leek mixture.
5. Garnish with the deep fried leek slivers and serve.

*Note about Monkfish in Japan: Getting the fish proved to be a challenge. Monkfish is not often sold in filet form so I had to ask my fishmonger to cut up an entire fish for me.

Autumn, a midweek dinner

The cooling rains of autumn blankets Tokyo in a misty glaze.

Shoes damp, the patter of droplets on vinyl umbrella slide downward.

Dinner Time

It's October and that means a new season of delicious eating.
I'm going to try something different and write about cooking, something I have always loved. Hopefully, its puts a name to some of the dishes one might find at a Japanese restaurant, but not necessarily know the name of.

Here are some recipes for dinner tonight that remind me of vermillion maple and the gold ginko leaves of fall.

These will be broken down into single entries, for ease of reading

1. Chilled Japanese Spinach and Chrysanthemum flowers (ほうれん草のお浸し）

This is a recipe that does well as a simple side dish to a larger meal. The mild flavor of spinach is enhanced with a light broth and the bright yellow chrysanthemum petals add a streak of beautiful color against the dark spinach.

To make ほうれん草のお浸し（Hourensou no Ohitashi), you will need:

1.) 1 Bunch of Japanese Spinach (18-20 plants) 

2.) Seasoning liquid:

1 1/4 Cup of Dashi (Bonito Broth)

A Pinch of Salt

1tsp of Mirin (Sweet Japanese Cooking Sake)

4 tsps Soy sauce

2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar

3.) 6 Edible Chrysanthemum Flowers, petals picked, centers reserved for later use

4.) 3 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar  

5. Bonito flakes, for garnish

Directions:

1. Bring Dashi to a boil, add salt, mirin soy sauce and 2 tsp rice wine vinegar. Simmer for a minute then remove from heat. Let it rest until cool (Can be made in advance)

2. Salt a pot of boiling water and blanch spinach until just tender. Drain and shock in ice water to stop cooking.

3. Gently Squeeze out excess water from spinach, cut off and discard the base then cut into 2 inch pieces. 

4. Place into a shallow dish and pour over cooled seasoning liquid. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours

Before Serving:

bring 1 cup of water to boil, add 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

Add the Chrysanthemum petals and blanch very briefly (10 seconds or so) Transfer the petals to ice water then drain.

Remove spinach from the seasoning liquid (reserve), mix with the chrysanthemum petals then arrange on a serving dish.  Spoon over a few spoons of the seasoning liquid and sprinkle over some bonito flakes.

Finished Dish!