This is a very simple but exciting little dish. Sweet monkfish, tart lemon and fresh minty dip…a great combo. Serve this as a main course alongside some roasted root veg and rice or as a light lunch with a fresh salad on the side. This dish works equally well on a barbeque and offers a tasty alternative to the usual meaty kebabs. And if you can’t get hold of monkfish or want a slightly cheaper fish you could use cod loins instead.
Serves 2:
Cooking time: 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 2 monkfish tail fillets
- 2 lemons, cut into thin wedges
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
For the dip:
- 4 tablespoons of plain yogurt
- A glug of olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
- a large handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
- half a cucumber, deseeded and finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon of ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon of ground cumin
- metal or wooden skewers (if using wood, soak in water beforehand for at least half an hour)
METHOD
Start by making the dip. You can do this just before serving the fish but ideally make it a couple of hours in advance so the flavours have time to infuse. Literally take all the raita ingredients and give everything a really good stir. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
To make the monkfish skewers: Take the monkfish tails and cut them into bitesized chunks. Spike them onto the skewers, separating each piece with a wedge of lemon. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, sprinkle over a few thyme leaves and season well with salt and pepper.
Cook the fish over a medium-high heat on a griddle pan (or place them under a grill) for about 3-4 minutes max, making sure you turn them every 30 seconds so they don’t colour too much. When the fish is cooked take the skewers out of the pan and leave them to rest on a warm plate for a minute or two before serving. There is nothing worse than dry fish, so make sure not to overcook it! These small chunks of fish will cook really quickly, so even if instinct tells you the fish isn’t quite cooked yet take it off anyway. It will continue to heat through while it’s resting.
