Mark Greenaway Recipe: Parma ham wrapped monkfish tail

Parma ham wrapped monkfish tail. Picture: Paul Johnston

Many of us love the idea of eating more fish but struggle to know how to prepare and cook it properly, and indeed to think of new and exciting ways to introduce these servings. I am here to help!

This week I am sharing my recipe for Parma ham wrapped monkfish tail, carrot puree and baby carrots.

This dish is not only appetising but presents beautifully on the plate which makes it an impressive dish when entertaining guests.

In all honesty, monkfish is quite an ugly fish. It has a huge head accounting for half its weight.

However, looks can be deceiving and monkfish definitely has inner beauty – once skinned, trimmed and the membrane removed, the tails yield amazing meat, with a firm and meaty texture.

Be sure to ask your fishmonger to fully prepare the monkfish tail for you by removing all of the silver skin and membrane.

Ingredients

Serves 4

Monkfish

Ingredients

200g monkfish tail

3 slices Parma ham

Method

Lay out the slices of Parma ham on to a large sheet of cling film, overlaying the slices slightly to resemble a rectangle.

Place the prepared monkfish on top and  roll the cling film up, wrapping the tail in the Parma ham.

Tie off the ends of the cling film to make it watertight.

Bring a pot of water up to a gentle simmer and place in the monkfish.

Simmer for 6 minutes.

Remove the monkfish from the water and rest in the cling film for a good 4-5 minutes.

Once ready to use, slice with the cling film still on to help keep the shape and remove just before plating up.

Carrot puree

Ingredients

75g butter

1 large shallot, peeled and diced

200g carrots, peeled and sliced

100ml milk

100ml cream

Method

Melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan and add the shallot.

Sweat the shallot for 3-4 minutes.

Add sliced carrots and continue to sweat down for another 4 minutes.

Add milk and cream and simmer for 10 minutes.

Blend in a high speed blender until smooth and glossy.

Season to taste with sea salt.

Pass through a fine sieve and keep warm until needed.

Baby carrots

Ingredients

12 baby carrots

200ml freshly squeezed orange juice

70g caster sugar

Method

Peel the baby carrots making sure you don’t take off too much of the outer layer.

Place the carrots in a pan with the orange juice and sugar and bring to a gentle simmer.

Once tender take off the heat and leave to cool in the cooking liquor.

At the restaurant we serve this with some homemade rice crackers and raw carrot ribbons as seen in the photograph, but feel free to experiment and serve it as you wish now that you have the basic elements.