This is an easy Rick Stein monkfish & rice dish with the addition of prawns that tastes absolutely delicious, a kind of paella type dish but nowhere near as complicated, it is extremely moorish, with tasty rice, meaty monkfish and succulent prawns, it is made even more tasty served with a homemade alioli, but definitely not for anyone who's not a garlic lover. Adapted from a recipe from Rick Stein's Spain, I have added prawns in this version but I don't always use prawns, sometimes I just use monkfish as in original recipe. If you like this recipe and want to buy Rick's book, see link at the bottom of this page.
Ingredients:
Olive oil
2 large banana shallots, finely chopped
6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped (or 1 whole head if small cloves)
2-3 tsps pimentón dulce
a pinch of chilli flakes
1 tin of finely chopped tomatoes (I like Mutti polpa these are very finely chopped and give you all the flavour you need without having large chunks of tomatoes in the finished dish)
1 litre of fish stock (homemade if you can, see recipe below)
Good pinch of saffron
400g paella rice (Bomba sometimes labelled as Calasparra)
3-4 jarred roasted red peppers, cut into strips
400g monkfish fillet, cut into slices about 1cm thick
400g raw shell-off king prawns
Alioli:
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 large egg yolks
200ml sunflower oil
1/2 tsp salt
a little milk
Method:
Heat 2 tbsps of olive oil in a shallow flameproof casserole over a low heat (Aga simmering plate) add shallot and fry gently for about 10 minutes until soft but not browned. Add garlic, 2 tsps of pimentón and chilli flakes and fry for a couple of minutes, add tomatoes and cook stirring occasionally until it has reduced to a thickish sauce consistency.
2 tbsps olive oil, 2 large finely chopped banana shallots, 6 finely chopped cloves garlic, 2 tsps pimentón, pinch of chilli flakes, 1 tin of finely chopped tomatoes |
Turn heat up to high (Aga boiling plate) add fish stock, saffron and 2 tsps sea salt flakes (if using a fish stock cube don't add salt until you have tasted it, then season to taste) stir well and bring to the boil.
Sprinkle rice evenly into stock and stir once, then leave to simmer on a medium heat (Aga simmering plate) for about 6-8 minutes.
When rice has started to absorb the stock, add strips of red pepper, pushing some of them down slightly into the rice, leaving others on top, reduce heat to low (move to edge of simmering plate if your Aga is very hot) and simmer for another 12-15 minutes, test a grain of rice to check that it is nearly cooked, most of the liquid will have evaporated at this stage.
1 litre of fish stock, a large pinch of saffron, 2 tsps sea salt flakes, 400g paella rice, 3-4 jarred roasted red peppers cut into 1cm strips |
Now it is time to fry your fish, make sure the monkfish & prawns are dry, if not, dry with kitchen paper, then sprinkle with salt and remaining pimentón.
Put a large frying pan on a high heat (Aga boiling plate) add 2 tbsps olive oil, add monkfish and fry in batches for 1 minute on each side (do not overcrowd the pan), remove to a plate while you cook the rest, then repeat with prawns.
400g monkfish fillet (membrane removed, your fishmonger will do this for you) cut into 1cm slices, 400g raw shell-off king prawns, sea salt, 1tsp sweet smoked pimentón |
Put the monkfish pieces and prawns on top of the rice, take off the heat and cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 5 minutes, this will gently steam the fish and finish cooking it. Serve with Alioli.
Note: This dish is also really good cold for lunch the next day.
Alioli:
Crush garlic in a pestle & mortar with sea salt flakes until it becomes a smooth paste.
Transfer to a bowl (of a stand mixer if you have one) add egg yolks and whisk adding oil a few drops at at time until it starts to emulsify then continue to add in a thin steady stream, until all the oil is incorporated, add a splash of milk to thin to a smooth consistency.
2 large cloves garlic-peeled, 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes, 2 large egg yolks, 200ml sunflower oil, a little milk |
Fish Stock:
Ingredients:
1.5kg fish bones, fish heads etc
2.5l water
small handful of button mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, quartered
1 large leek, cut into 4 pieces
1 large carrot, cut into 4 pieces
1 celery stick halved
1 sprig of thyme
1 bulb of fennel thickly sliced
Method:
Place all ingredients into a large saucepan, bring to a boil, simmer for 45 mins, strain through a fine sieve, use or store.
Top tip:
I make large batches of stock, I have a couple of silicone muffin trays, each muffin mould within the tray is 100ml, I place the trays on a board (makes it easier to move them) and fill with stock and freeze, when frozen these can then be easily popped out and put into a ziplock freezer bag. When you need stock, your stock is conveniently in 100ml cubes to use as needed. Make sure you clearly label your bag, if like me you make all sorts of stock you can then easily identify which is the bag of fish stock or chicken stock or whatever you need, remember when frozen, generally they all look the same.
Notes on ingredients:
Monkfish and prawns available in all good fishmongers and most good Supermarket fish counters, I get mine from K O'Connell, The English Market (see sourcing for details)
Smoked pimentón available in most supermarkets or specialist suppliers like The Real Olive Co. or Iago, Cork
Bomba/Calasparra rice available in all good delicatessens and in many supermarkets it is simply labelled as Spanish Paella rice. I get mine from Iago, Princess St, Cork
If you like this recipe taken from Rick Stein's book Spain and would like to purchase the book or any other Rick Stein Cookery books, please click on the links.
I highly recommend Rick's books, they are always such a pleasure to read with his wonderful anecdotes about the places he visits on his travels. I own all of his cookbooks, his recipes are always extremely easy to follow and always a pleasure to cook and eat. Thank you, Jacqui
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