Recipe - Roasted Monkfish In Plum Wine Sauce

3 pound Thick monkfish fillets

FOR THE MARINADE
Fresh ginger; see prep note
3 Cloves garlic; minced
1 cup Chinese plum wine
Three fourths cup Dry sherry
1 Lemon; juiced
One half cup Rice wine vinegar
One half cup White wine vinegar
2 teaspoon Lemon zest; finely grated
2 tablespoon Lowsodium soy sauce
3 Dried Chinese chile peppers
1 tablespoon Coriander seed
2 tablespoon Chopped fresh cilantro; or
flatleaf parsley
1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

ADDITIONS
2 ounce Shiitake mushrooms
1 cup Sliced celery
One fourth pound Enoki mushrooms; washed and
trimmed
8 Scallions; see prep note

PREP notes: Cut 8 thin slices (about the size of a dime) from fresh ginger.
Trim scallions, keeping 2 inches of the green, and chop.

1) If the monkfish fillets are not trimmed, use a sharp paring knife and
remove the shiny membrane covering the fillets. Trim to an even thickness,
saving the scraps for fish stock.

2) In a glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the marinade ingredients.
Add the monkfish and marinate for 2 hours at room, temperature or for 6
hours refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap.

3) Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in boiling water to cover for 15
minutes, pushing them down with the back of a spoon to absorb the water.
Drain, stem, and slice.

4) Preheat the oven to 450F. Remove the monkfish from the marinade,
reserving the marinade. Place in a baking dish and bake for 10 to 12
minutes or until the flesh springs back to the touch. Remove and keep warm.

5) While the monkfish is roasting, boil down the marinade in a small
saucepan until reduced by half. Strain the sauce and return it to the pan.
Add the celery and shiitake and simmer for 5 minutes.

6) To serve, place a monkfish fillet on the plate and top with some of the
sauce. Scatter enoki mushrooms and chopped scallions over the fillets.

Note: The same treatment works well for thick halibut or swordfish steaks,
which can be grilled as well as roasted. The fish can be cooked a day in
advance; roast it for only seven minutes and then reheat in a 300degree
oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

TIME: 2One half hours total. NUTRITION estimated by publisher, 250 cals, 57 mg
chol, 4g fat, 372 mg sodium

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Aromatic rice; crisp salad; steamed asparagus and baby
bok choy strips. kitpath@earthlink.net

ABOUT THE BOOK: Many of the dishes were initially developed for Gourmet
Gazelle, the business Suzanne Ainslie and Ellen Brown cofounded on the
Upper East Side Of Manhattan in 1987; it closed in the spring of 1989.
Focus: the art of dining at home, healthy and the menu is described by
Ellen as "SpatoGo." Her other book is called "Cooking with the New
American Chefs." pat

NOTES : "Known as poor man's lobster and once considered a trash fish in
America, monkfish (or lotte) has become popular due to its similarity in
texture and delicate flavor to lobster. The sweetness of Chinese plum wine
is the perfect foil for the fish, its sweetness balanced by the vinegar and
chiles. Serves 6." E. Brown

Recipe by: Gourmet Gazelle Cookbook by Ellen Brown (1991 Bantam)

Posted to EATLF Digest by PatHanneman kitpath@earthlink.net on Mar 29,
1999, converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.