Monkfish with Olive Paste & Lemon Mash

With Ruedi's return to YEG, we have quickly settled into a few habitual affairs; one of them being a Saturday visit to the City Market Downtown. Fresh fruit, eggs and pastry to tide us until lunch are the usual takeaways. This time we cruised by Ocean Odyssey Inland which sells wild seafood, including a wide array of fish from Iceland. We picked up a few small pieces of Monkfish for dinner; pricey little numbers, but they have a hearty texture I really enjoy. If Monkfish isn't an option for you, you can still pull this recipe off with other white fish. The original recipe courtesy of Jamie Oliver includes a rub of rosemary and lemon zest for the fish, but I ran out of time and figured the fish would be lovely either way. I used less fish than the recipe calls for and ended up with quite a bit of leftover olive paste. The extra I combined with a rice and lentil mix topped with cilantro, avocado and tomatoes for my lunches. Worked quite well, thank you.

If you live in Edmonton and haven't been to the City Market, I highly recommend a visit. We often go just to people watch since there's usually a good turnout in the summer. The market moves outdoors between the May and Thanksgiving long weekends on 104th Street between Jasper Ave and 103rd. Be sure to pick up a few gougeres at Dauphine to keep your strength up during your visit.

Adapted From: http://www.jamieoliver.com

Serves 4

The Fish

• sea salt
• 4, 200g Monkfish fillets
• olive oil

Olive Paste

• 2 handfuls of black, pitted olives loosely chopped (I chose Kalamata)
• 1 fresh red chili, minced (had orange Habaneros, but red chili would be best)
• handful of fresh herbs finely chopped (basil, cilantro, parsley)
• 1 heart of celery, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• juice of 1 lemon
• freshly ground pepper
• a few swigs of olive oil
• balsamic vinegar to taste

Lemon Mash

• 1 kg of russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• sea salt
• butter
• ground pepper
• milk 
• juice of 1 lemon

Method

To prepare the fish, salt it in advance and let it sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the juices to release. Heat barbecue grill on high (400F). Place fillets on grill and cook for  2-4 minutes each side. Ours were about an inch thick and took 4 minutes each side, but you'll want to gauge your time carefully. The meaty texture can take a little more abuse than lighter fillets of fish, but over cooking fish is easy to do.

To make the olive paste combine all the ingredients and set aside. When ready to serve, taste the mix and add a little of the balsamic vinegar if a little extra kick is needed.

For the mash, heat a large pot of salted, boiling water. Add the potatoes and let cook for about 15 minutes, or until they can be pierced easily with a fork. Remove from heat and dump the water. Add a hearty nub of butter, about a half cup of milk and the lemon juice and blend with a hand mixer. Do not over mix the potatoes! They become starchy if blended for two long. Add more milk and butter to get your desired texture and salt and pepper to taste.