This one started life as something else entirely. I'd planned monkfish with langostinos and mussels – a proper shellfish plate – but a few days' wait between buying the fish and actually cooking it made me think twice about the shellfish, mussels especially. Better safe than sorry, so out they went, and what was left was just the monkfish, looking for a new direction.

At the same time, the Bionsan haul kept nudging its way back into things. The fennel, the chucrut mix, the kimchi — all three already tried, all three good — sitting there practically asking to be used for something more than a sandwich topping. So the dish rebuilt itself: monkfish, dusted with pimentón picante and griddled, set down on a bed of all three ferments together, with a Depur vinaigrette drizzled over. Asparagus and new potatoes alongside, both finished in the same griddle pan as the fish — one pan, less washing up, exactly the kind of thing that suits a kitchen too hot to fuss over.

Ingredients

Fish

• 1 monkfish fillet, cut into pieces (skinned, central cartilage removed)
• Pimentón picante (smoked hot paprika), for dusting
• Sea salt and black pepper
• A splash of olive oil

Sides

• 6–8 small new potatoes, boiled and drained
• 6–8 fine asparagus spears

Ferment bed

• A generous spoonful each of Bionsan fermented fennel, chucrut mix, and kimchi

Depur vinaigrette

• 1 tbsp Bionsan Depur ACV
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• A pinch of black pepper
• ¼ tsp Dijon mustard (optional)

Griddled Monkfish and Fermented Vegetables: The Method

1. Boil the potatoes first, separately, ahead of time. Drain and set aside.
2. Make the vinaigrette. Whisk the Depur ACV with the olive oil, black pepper, and Dijon if using. Set aside in a small ramekin.
3. Build the bed. Drain the fennel, chucrut mix, and kimchi lightly if needed, then arrange them together on the plate – a loose three-way scatter rather than mixed into one pile.
4. One griddle pan, three jobs. Pat the monkfish dry, dust lightly with pimentón picante, salt and black pepper. Griddle with a little olive oil for a few minutes, turning, until deeply golden-red and opaque through. Lift out and set aside. In the same pan, griddle the asparagus for a couple of minutes until lightly charred. Finally, toss the boiled potatoes through the same pan briefly, just to pick up a little colour and the residual flavour left behind by the fish and pimentón.
5. Plate. Sit the monkfish on top of the fermented vegetable bed. Serve the griddled asparagus and potatoes alongside. Drizzle the monkfish with the Depur vinaigrette or serve it alongside in the ramekin.

This griddled monkfish recipe is also featured in my French Recipes, a collection of French recipes from a former Limousin restaurateur — confit, braises, fish, gratins, and van life French cooking from Casa Adora and the road.
Find more recipes in my Fish Hub.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef