Bake
Serves 2
Ingredients:
3 Tbs olive oil
2 shallots, minced
½ cup Pinot Noir
1 Tbs fresh fennel leaves, chopped
1 Tbs fresh tarragon, chopped
½ cup bottled clam juice
2 Tbs (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¾ lb monkfish fillets, trimmed of membranes
3 Tbs olive oil
2 sprigs fresh fennel
2 sprigs fresh tarragon
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°.
In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Add shallots; sauté until soft, about 2 minutes. Add wine, fennel and tarragon. Cook until liquid is reduced by half. Add clam juice and cook until reduced to 3 tablespoons. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and keep warm.
In a large, heavy ovenproof skillet, heat the remaining two tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Add the monkfish fillets and sauté one minute per side until lightly browned.
Arrange one sprig of fennel and one sprig of tarragon on each fillet. Bake for six to eight minutes, or until fish is opaque throughout. Spoon two tablespoons sauce on each of two warmed serving plates. Place a roasted fillet on top.
Gilbertie, Sal. Kitchen Herbs: The Art and Enjoyment of Growing Herbs and Cooking with Them: New York, Bantam Books, 1988.