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ROASTED MONKFISH TAILS WITH FRENCH LENTILS
Roasted monkfish tails with French lentils. Great for your heart, this combination of delicious Puy lentils with succulent monkfish, makes a fab dinner.
For the French lentils
- knob of butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
- 150g/5½oz pancetta, diced
- 1 small carrot, finely chopped
- 1 stick celery, finely chopped
- ¼ leek, finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 300g/10½oz Puy lentils
- 175ml/6fl oz red wine
- 450ml/16fl oz chicken stock
- 2 tbsp good sherry vinegar
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 4 slices pancetta, cooked
- 2 tbsp parsley cress
For the roasted monkfish tail
- 400g/14oz monkfish tails, trimmed, skinned and filleted
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Method
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For the lentils, heat a large frying pan and then add the butter and oil. Once hot, add the onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic, diced pancetta, carrot, celery, leek and bay leaf and cook until the pancetta is nicely browned and the leek and garlic softened.
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Add the lentils and red wine and bring to the boil. Cook until the volume of wine has reduced by half, then add the stock and cook the lentils for 25-30 minutes. Mix in the sherry vinegar and parsley.
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For the monkfish, season the monkfish fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Heat a frying pan until very hot, add the olive oil and monkfish and cook on each side for 1-2 minutes, or until the crust is golden-brown and the fish is cooked through. Remove from the pan and rest on a warm plate for 2-3 minutes, then thickly slice into four pieces.
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To serve, share the lentils between four bowls and place the sliced monkfish on top. Garnish with the sliced cooked pancetta, parsley and parsley cress.
