Monkfish Wrapped in Pancetta with Petits Pois à la Française - Fishbox

Fishboxer Alex Smith from Edinburgh

“We made this for starters recently using Fishbox's fresh monkfish - it was very tasty and also quite presentable!"

Ingredients

• 2 X 120g monkfish fillets
• 4 rashers smoked pancetta
• 2 banana shallots
• 300g butter
• frozen petit pois
• 50ml double cream
• 50g smoked bacon lardons
• 1 baby gem lettuce
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Method

1. Wrap each fish fillet with two rashers of the pancetta, in a cross pattern, and put in the fridge for half an hour to chill.
2. Heat the oven to 180c.
3. Finely chop the banana shallots.
4. Finely slice the lettuce and set aside for later.
5. Heat a frying pan on a medium to high heat.
6. Fry the shallots in some of the butter for 5 minutes without browning.
7. Boil the peas for approximately 3 minutes in salted water.
8. Add half of the peas and the cream to the shallots.
9. Cook for another couple of minutes to warm through then puree the mixture.
10. Fry the lardons in some more butter until cooked through.
11. Now add the peas and the puree, then warm through again.
12. In a separate pan, fry the fish in butter until browned on both sides.
13. Once browned, finish for approximately 2 minutes in the hot oven, until cooked through.
14. Add the finely sliced lettuce to the peas and mix through.
15. To serve place a small pile of the peas in the centre of a small plate.
16. Slice the fish in half (at an angle) and sit on top of the peas with the centre of the fillet facing up.
17. Dress with rapeseed oil and enjoy.