Equipment
Ingredients
Fish
- 800 g monkfish fillet, cut into 5cm chunks
- 5 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 200 g pearl onions, peeled
- 250 g cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 3 garlic, minced
- 1 bouquet garni
Sauce Base
- 50 g unsalted butter, divided into 30g and 20g portions
- 15 ml olive oil
- 15 g tomato paste
- 400 ml dry red wine
- 200 ml fish stock
- 20 g all-purpose flour
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 33 g
- Carbohydrates
- 16 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Sodium
- 613 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 8 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 77 mg
- Potassium
- 1421 mg
- Calcium
- 63 mg
- Iron
- 1.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 73 mg
- Phosphorus
- 559 mg
- Zinc
- 1.9 mg
- Vitamin A
- 114 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 8 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 7 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 2.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.19 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.53 mg
- Niacin
- 7.5 mg
- Folate
- 43 mcg
- Water
- 411 g
- Alcohol
- 11 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Thoroughly pat the monkfish chunks dry with paper towels. Season evenly with kosher salt and black pepper.
Heat 15ml of olive oil and 15g of unsalted butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the peeled pearl onions and quartered mushrooms. Sauté until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to a plate.
In the same pot over medium-high heat, add the seasoned monkfish chunks in a single layer. Sear briefly just to develop a light crust on the outside, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. The fish will not be cooked through. Transfer to the plate with the vegetables.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste to the residual fat in the pot. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in the dry red wine to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil and let the wine reduce by half.
Pour in the fish stock and add the bouquet garni. Bring the liquid back to a gentle simmer. Let the sauce gently reduce for 15 minutes to concentrate the flavors.
While the sauce simmers, prepare a beurre manié by mashing the remaining 20g of softened butter with 20g of all-purpose flour in a small bowl until it forms a smooth paste. Whisk this paste into the simmering sauce in small pieces, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
Return the monkfish, mushrooms, and pearl onions to the thickened sauce. Simmer gently over low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 60C/140F and flakes easily. Remove the bouquet garni before serving.
Chef's Notes
- Monkfish has a tough exterior membrane that must be removed before cooking, as it shrinks violently and causes the meat to curl and toughen. Ensure your fishmonger removes it, or peel it off with a sharp knife.
- To peel pearl onions easily, blanch them in boiling water for 60 seconds, then shock in ice water. Snip the root end and squeeze gently; the onion will pop right out of its skin.
- A beurre manié thickens sauces without clumping because the flour particles are coated in fat. Always ensure your sauce is simmering, not boiling aggressively, when whisking it in.
- Selecting the right wine is critical. Choose a dry but fruity wine with low tannins, such as a Red Burgundy, Pinot Noir, or Gamay. Heavy, oaky wines will overpower the delicate flavor of the monkfish and turn bitter when reduced.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store in an airtight container. Reheat very gently to avoid overcooking the fish.
Freezer: 1 month — Freezing may slightly alter the texture of the monkfish, making it more dense.
Reheating: Warm over low heat in a covered saucepan until just heated through. Do not boil.
Troubleshooting
Fish is tough and rubbery
Cause: The monkfish was boiled rather than gently poached, or was left in the pot too long.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once overcooked.
Prevention: Ensure the final step is a very gentle simmer and monitor the internal temperature closely.
Sauce is too thin
Cause: The wine and stock were not reduced sufficiently, or the beurre manié was not incorporated fully.
Fix: Remove the fish and vegetables, raise the heat to boil the sauce rapidly to reduce further, or whisk in a secondary small batch of beurre manié.
Prevention: Allow proper time for reduction before adding the thickener.
Sauce tastes bitter
Cause: Using a highly tannic red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon or scorching the tomato paste.
Fix: Stir in a pinch of sugar or a small amount of heavy cream to round out the harsh flavors.
Prevention: Use a fruit-forward, low-tannin wine like Pinot Noir. Monitor the tomato paste constantly while cooking.
Cultural Context
Matelote is a traditional French dish originally created by fishermen along the rivers of France using freshwater catches and local wines. While classic Bourguignon relies on beef, substituting monkfish elevates the rustic preparation. Monkfish is often called poor man's lobster due to its firm, sweet flesh, which holds up exceptionally well to robust red wine sauces that would normally overwhelm flakier, delicate seafood.
