Monkfish in American sauce

How to make monkfish in American sauce with brandy .

This fish recipe is a dish with which we will surprise our guests or our family without having to spend a lot of time.

Despite being a very easy and fast recipe, it has a delicious flavor, especially thanks to the sauce with the fish stock and the touch of the flambé with brandy. With an unbeatable presentation that is perfect for Christmas or any special occasion.

This dish can be accompanied by some cooked ball-shaped potatoes, or go one step further and fry them in abundant oil after removing them from the cooking water, to make a risolado with them. Either way they are delicious and go very well with the monkfish flavor.

In the blog you will have seen that I am a great fan of this fish, you have from a tartar , stews , a   monkfish grilled , with a  monkfish in walnut sauce and to give a flavor of 10 points to a good  rice with monkfish .

A white fish, by the way, with a high contribution of protein and a very low amount of fat, which makes it perfect for a balanced diet. Presented as we are going to cook it today, it is clear that you can eat healthy and at the same time very very rich.

Before preparing the recipe. Monkfish

1. The night before, we thawed the monkfish tails or the whole monkfish in the fridge, covered.
2. If it is frozen fish, thaw the monkfish tails without the container in the fridge if possible.
3. We do it in a container with a grid so that the defrosting juices are set aside.
4. In addition, frozen fish prevent anisakis infection . To eliminate this parasite, it would be convenient to freeze the fish for 5 days, if it is in a home refrigerator.
5. Defrosting overnight is best, but in a pinch, we can defrost quickly with cold water. Never hot water because it would pre-cook the fish and it would be hard afterwards.
6. Once thawed, we clean the monkfish tails by removing the ribs that are stuck to the meat.
7. Remember that this fish releases a lot of water. So it is necessary that we remove as much water as possible, we can help ourselves with a kitchen cloth or paper.
8. Season the monkfish tails with salt and pepper.
9. In a low saucepan we put a little extra virgin olive oil. We heat and brown the monkfish tails. When they are ready we remove them and reserve.

Preparation of American sauce

1. We put the ñoras in a bowl with hot water to hydrate them. Meanwhile, we peel and mince the lady and the garlic cloves.
2. We wash and chop the diced tomatoes. After ten minutes, remove the ñoras from the water and remove the tail and seeds.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan and sauté the ñoras and garlic.
4. Peel the shallots (it would also be worth an onion) and add them with the bay leaf, the cayenne and the seafood heads.
5. When everything has browned, add the chopped tomatoes. We raise the fire and stir well.
6. Then add the cognac or brandy, leave the heat to a minimum and flambé. Before doing so, it is very, very important that the kitchen range hood is turned off.
7. We light with a lighter and wait for the fire to consume and evaporate almost all the alcohol, the flame will go out while we stir carefully.
8. When the flame has been consumed, we raise the temperature and add the fish stock.
9. We lower the heat to medium and let it all boil together for 20 minutes. We remove the bay leaf and put the sauce in the glass of a crusher. We crush everything.
10. Pour the crushed sauce in a bowl and bind it with a little cornstarch, stirring very well.

Preparation of monkfish in sauce. Final presentation

1. We peel the potatoes and make balls with them. We cook them in very hot water. Chop the parsley and the leek.
2. Pour the sauce in another pan and place the monkfish that we have reserved on top. We let everything do together 5 minutes more.
3. To serve, we put a sauce base and on top the monkfish crumbs. We put potatoes around and decorate with the chopped leek and parsley.
4. Do not forget a good loaf of bread, that the sauce is scandalous.

The rest of the sauce can be served in a gravy boat, it is delicious. To the table!

In addition we can leave it prepared one or two days before, so you will have the food ready and you will only have to heat it before serving. So you can enjoy with your guests. I leave you with this recipe that the rest of the family will surely copy when it is their turn to cook. Appetizing, right?

Here you have a step by step in photos where I show how to prepare this monkfish recipe in American sauce . Do not miss any detail so that it comes out perfect.