Roast Monkfish with Chorizo, Butterbeans and Saffron

⏱ 40 min · Serves 4

Meaty monkfish tail roasted whole until just set, resting on a golden saffron broth of smoky chorizo and creamy butterbeans. It looks like it came out of a Basque kitchen, but it's one pan and thirty-five minutes.

Per serving: 565 kcal · 50.0g protein · 32.0g carbs · 25.0g fat

Ingredients

• 2 monkfish tails, trimmed and skinned (about 700g total)
• 150g cooking chorizo, skin removed, torn into rough chunks
• 2 x 400g tins butterbeans, drained and rinsed
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• Generous pinch saffron threads (about 0.3g)
• 150ml dry white wine or fino sherry
• 300ml chicken or fish stock
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• Small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 lemon, zest and wedges to serve
• Sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Soak the saffron in 3 tbsp warm water.
2. Pat the monkfish dry, season all over with salt and pepper and leave at room temperature while you build the base.
3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan or shallow casserole over medium heat. Add the chorizo and fry 3-4 minutes until the oil runs bright red and the edges crisp. Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Add the onion and red pepper to the chorizo oil with a pinch of salt and cook gently for 8 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and smoked paprika for 1 minute.
5. Pour in the wine and let it bubble down by half, then add the stock, saffron with its soaking water and the butterbeans. Simmer 5 minutes, crushing a few beans against the pan to thicken the broth. Return the chorizo. Taste and season.
6. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a separate pan over high heat and sear the monkfish tails for 1-2 minutes each side until lightly golden.
7. Nestle the monkfish on top of the beans and roast for 12-15 minutes, until the fish is opaque and just comes away from the bone at the thickest point.
8. Lift the fish onto a board, stir the sherry vinegar, parsley and lemon zest through the beans, then slice the monkfish into thick medallions.
9. Spoon the beans into warm shallow bowls, top with the fish, drizzle with olive oil and serve with lemon wedges and plenty of bread.