Dayboat Cornish Monkfish, Mussels, Clams, Cockles, Brown Shrimp Butter, Garlic, Parsley Lemon and Lime

Paul Ainsworth's recipe for Dayboat Cornish Monkfish, Mussels, Clams, Cockles, Brown Shrimp Butter, Garlic, Parsley Lemon and Lime! Paul makes the most of great Cornish ingredients. The brown butter dressing is made with butter, shallots, gherkins, capers, herbs, mussels, clams, cockles, brown shrimps and lemon. Delicious!

Ingredients

For the brine
  • 2 Litres of water
  • 100g table salt
  • 40g sugar
  • ½ bunch of thyme
  • ½ bunch rosemary
  • 1 garlic bulb cut in half
  • 5 black peppercorns
  • 1 star anise
For the brown butter dressing
  • 500g butter
  • 2 shallots finely diced
  • 2 gherkins finally diced
  • 40g capers
  • 20g chopped chives
  • 20g chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 100g mussels (cleaned)
  • 100g clams (cleaned)
  • 100g cockles (cleaned)
  • 20g brown shrimps (peeled)
  • 1 lemon
For the croutons
  • 4 slices of sourdough (torn into nice sized chunks)
  • 30g butter
  • 1 bulb garlic
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 10g oil
  • 1 pinch ground mace
For the Monkfish
  • 1 x small whole monkfish tail or plaice/ray wing etc
  • 5g fine salt
  • 10g medium curry powder
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 lime

Method

  1. Firstly, make your brine (this can be made the day before to save time), bring all the ingredients up to boil to dissolve the sugar and salt, then place into a deep enough container to fit your monkfish and leave to cool – once cold place your monkfish in for one hour.
  2. Place your butter into a large pan and turn on medium, keep whisking until golden brown in colour, then pour into a bowl with a bowl of ice underneath.
  3. Now into a pan with a lid place your mussels, cockles, and clams with a little splash of water, steam gentle until all open, should take 3-4 minutes, pour into a bowl and cover with ice to cool quickly.
  4. Once cooled pick the meats and put to one side, alongside the brown shrimps
  5. Pre heat an oven to 180oc – mix the salt and curry powder, and rub all over the monkfish, brush liberally with some of the brown butter and place in the oven until the core temperature hits 48oc.
  6. Then rest the monkfish on a rack with a dish underneath to collect all the juices.
  7. Whilst the monkfish is cooking, place oil into a frying pan and heat on medium, add in butter, once golden brown add your torn sourdough, thyme and garlic, fry until golden brown all over and drain off the butter.
  8. Now to make the brown butter dressing, place the butter into the pan, heat gently, add the shallots, capers and gherkins, warm slightly, add the cockles, clams, mussels and brown shrimps finish with the herbs and lemon zest and juice.
  9. To plate – Warm the monkfish back through the oven for 5 minutes, place on a large serving dish, dress with the hot butter sauce.
  10. Place croutons on top of fish, zest lemon and lime over and serve.

Ingredients

For the brine
  • 2 Litres of water
  • 100g table salt
  • 40g sugar
  • ½ bunch of thyme
  • ½ bunch rosemary
  • 1 garlic bulb cut in half
  • 5 black peppercorns
  • 1 star anise
For the brown butter dressing
  • 500g butter
  • 2 shallots finely diced
  • 2 gherkins finally diced
  • 40g capers
  • 20g chopped chives
  • 20g chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 100g mussels (cleaned)
  • 100g clams (cleaned)
  • 100g cockles (cleaned)
  • 20g brown shrimps (peeled)
  • 1 lemon
For the croutons
  • 4 slices of sourdough (torn into nice sized chunks)
  • 30g butter
  • 1 bulb garlic
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 10g oil
  • 1 pinch ground mace
For the Monkfish
  • 1 x small whole monkfish tail or plaice/ray wing etc
  • 5g fine salt
  • 10g medium curry powder
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 lime

Method

  1. Firstly, make your brine (this can be made the day before to save time), bring all the ingredients up to boil to dissolve the sugar and salt, then place into a deep enough container to fit your monkfish and leave to cool – once cold place your monkfish in for one hour.
  2. Place your butter into a large pan and turn on medium, keep whisking until golden brown in colour, then pour into a bowl with a bowl of ice underneath.
  3. Now into a pan with a lid place your mussels, cockles, and clams with a little splash of water, steam gentle until all open, should take 3-4 minutes, pour into a bowl and cover with ice to cool quickly.
  4. Once cooled pick the meats and put to one side, alongside the brown shrimps
  5. Pre heat an oven to 180oc – mix the salt and curry powder, and rub all over the monkfish, brush liberally with some of the brown butter and place in the oven until the core temperature hits 48oc.
  6. Then rest the monkfish on a rack with a dish underneath to collect all the juices.
  7. Whilst the monkfish is cooking, place oil into a frying pan and heat on medium, add in butter, once golden brown add your torn sourdough, thyme and garlic, fry until golden brown all over and drain off the butter.
  8. Now to make the brown butter dressing, place the butter into the pan, heat gently, add the shallots, capers and gherkins, warm slightly, add the cockles, clams, mussels and brown shrimps finish with the herbs and lemon zest and juice.
  9. To plate – Warm the monkfish back through the oven for 5 minutes, place on a large serving dish, dress with the hot butter sauce.
  10. Place croutons on top of fish, zest lemon and lime over and serve.