Ever wonder why you never see the head of a monkfish when you’re at a seafood market?

That’s why.
Image: wikipedia.org

Yes, the monkfish has a face only a mother could love, but still, as ugly and hideous as it is, one can’t deny the tastiness and the versatility of monkfish meat. I cooked a bunch of monkfish for my bday party over the weekend and I was able to create three separate dishes from one fish. Clearly versatile indeed!

Image: Bo Han

Monkfish Skewers

Ingredients

• Monkfish
• Mushrooms
• Squash
• Lemon
• 2 Tbsp – Oil
• Salt
• Ground black pepper

I bought 4lbs of monkfish from the market and I had them chopped through the bone. Remove all excess skin from the fish. Cut the meat off the bones and cut into 1″ x 1″ cubes. Leave some meat on the bones as we will be saving that for another dish. Save the tail portion for an additional dish as well. Place the monkfish cubes in a large bowl, add juice from half a lemon, add the oil, add a dash of salt, and two dashes of ground black pepper. Mix well and let marinate for a minimum of two hours in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, soak the skewers in water so that they won’t burn on the grill. Give the mushrooms a good wipe down with a wet paper towel and chop the squash so each piece is large enough to be skewered.

Arrange the fish, squash, and mushrooms on the skewers as you desire.

Spray non-stick cooking spray on the grill pan and fire it up at medium-high heat. Place the skewers on the grill and cook each side for about 4 minutes and flip to cook for another 4.

As always, please make sure all food is thoroughly cooked before consumption to prevent food-borne illness.

Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3!

~ Kin