But it's bloody lovely, and if you do splash out on some then it's worth doing something a bit special with it.
OK.
This is all, really, just an extended excuse to do a recipe that's more than a little bit OTT. But it's a great showing-off dish and once it's all in the pan is just a question of adding stuff in the right order.
And no matter what it looks like it's definitely not a paella in any way shape or form. Really.
Turmeric and cumin monkfish with smoked cod and chorizo.
For enough to feed four hungry people you will need:
2 shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 stick of celery and 1 large carrot, thoroughly scrubbed and coarsely chopped
150g of diced smoked pancetta
2 large cloves of garlic peeled, flattened and coarsely chopped
Optionally some chopped fresh chilli (your choice of how much and what kind, I used two fresh bird-eye chillis)
200g of spicy chorizo, peeled and cut into small chunks
A small glass of white wine (try and find a use for the rest of the bottle, please)
500ml of fish or vegetable stock
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
150g of Bomba rice
400g of undyed smoked cod loin
The zest and juice of 1 lemon
150g of frozen peas
Optionally 400g of mixed seafood (I use a frozen mix of scallops, prawns, squid and mussels)
350g of fresh monkfish fillet
50g of plain flour
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of ground turmeric
50g butter
Olive oil for frying
Salt and pepper
Start by gently frying the shallots, celery and carrot in olive oil in a large lidded pan that's big enough to take all the ingredients. Just barely sizzling is best as you're not looking for anything to get brown and crispy, just translucent and sticky.
After about 20 mins (longer if you have the patience) add the pancetta and garlic and continue gently frying until the meat is releasing its fat and flavours (add the chilli at this stage as well if you're using it). After about another ten minutes add the chorizo and continue stirring. After a further ten minutes the meat should be softening and there should be lots of fat released from the pancetta and chorizo. Stir through the uncooked rice and make sure the grains are evenly coated and distributed.
Whack the heat up to high and pour in the white wine. Keep stirring until the wine has almost completely evaporated and any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan have been worked loose and incorporated. Add the tomatoes and stock, allow to come to a very gentle simmer, reduce the heat to keep it there. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, cover and allow to cook for about 10-20 minutes. Once the rice is starting to soften and absorb the stock gently place the cod loin in the pan, cover with the rice and then leave for 5-10 minutes. Try and resist stirring it around as you'll break the fish into mush. After it's cooked through on one side turn over and leave again until thoroughly cooked through. At this point you should be able to gently tease apart into big meaty flakes. Check the seasoning.
Once the rice has absorbed all the stock and is tender stir through the frozen peas. If you're adding the mixed seafood also stir it through at this stage and leave the covered pan on a very low heat. Lightness of touch is essential here, you don't want to go mixing it like cement and end up with fish-mush. You also don't need to over-cook the peas, or seafood if you're using it. Just warmed through is good enough. Leave covered to keep warm while you finish the monkfish.
See, I didn't forget the monkfish.
Mix the flour, cumin and turmeric in a bowl with a generous seasoning of salt. Cut the monkfish into bite-sized pieces and toss in the flour until thoroughly coated.
Heat the butter with an equal amount of olive oil in a frying pan on a high heat until foaming vigorously. This is one of the few occasions I turn the heat up to max. Quickly fry the coated monkfish pieces until just cooked through and starting to colour on the outside.
Serve the monkfish on top of the not-paella. (I even stir the butter/oil mixture into the rice once I've finished with it provided the butter hasn't burned too badly).
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