Monkfish Cheek Coconut Curry Stew with Carrot and Fennel

To be honest the name Padma Lakshmi to me was just someone who had been married to Salman Rushdie and who had had a modeling career but in fact it seems she’s published a couple of food related books as well as presenting some cookery shows.

I stumbled across a recipe of hers for mahi mahi which was the inspiration for this monkfish curry as that was what I fancied cooking for some reason.

I made a trip to Borough Market, and specifically Sussex Fish asking the very nice guy on the stall for some monkfish - he persuaded me to get monkfish cheeks instead as they’re half the price, there’s no bone to bugger about with and he assured me they’d be just as good in my curried stew. Sold!

If you are in the area and need some fish I’d definitely get to Sussex Fish, in the Green Market, for some excellent and helpful advice for your fish shopping: a great range there too and good prices.

This is very subtly and interestingly flavoured as it stands but you could certainly ramp up the spicing if you wanted something a little bolder.


Monkfish, Carrot & Fennel Coconut Curry
serves 2

300g monkfish cheeks
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
sea salt
2 tbsp coconut (or sunflower) oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ large or 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
2 dried red chiles
6 fresh curry leaves
1 ½ tsp fresh ginger, minced
2 kaffir lime leaves
½ fennel bulb , cored and cut into 1-inch long batons
1 carrot, peeled cut into 1-inch long batons
1 tsp Madras curry powder
225 ml coconut milk
½ tsp fish sauce
small handful coriander leaves, to serve

Put the monkfish in a shallow dish, season lightly with salt and pour over the lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a large heavy based sauté pan heat the oil and then add the shallots and cook over a moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and for a couple of minutes more.

Add the chillies and curry leaves and cook for 2 minutes before adding the ginger and lime leaves and cooking for a further 2 minutes.

Add the fennel, carrots and curry powder and season lightly with salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the coconut milk and fish sauce and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring a few times, until the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes longer.

Add the monkfish and any accumulated juices to the casserole give a good stir then cover and gently simmer over low heat until it is just cooked, 3-5 minutes.

Serve with plain rice and garnish with coriander leaves.

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Fennel, Goats' Cheese & Pea Risotto

I’ve mentioned before that there tends to be a bit of a lag with my cooking things and then blogging them. This recipe brought to home just how much of a lag as when I cooked this I recall that it was a lovely dish for a late summer evening. And here I am posting it in January. Oh well.

Pernod goes exceptionally well with fennel, as you would imagine as they both have an aniseed edge to their flavour and aroma. Luckily this is not enough to overpower the goat’s cheese (do try and get hold of this Capricorn cheese if you can, it’s from Somerset and it bloody rocks!) and the whole remains light yet comforting. Very, very tasty.

I adapted this recipe from one found here. In retrospect this is *quite* similar at first glance to another fennel risotto that I previously posted which may be one of the reasons I was drawn to it but really it is quite different in taste.


Fennel, Goats Cheese & Pea Risotto
serves 2
1 small onion - finely chopped
1 medium fennel bulb - halved then finely sliced (reserve the fronds)
150g risotto rice
4 tbsp pernod (60ml)
750ml hot vegetable stock
100g frozen peas
100g goats' cheese
½ lemon, juiced
40g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Melt half the butter along with the olive oil in a heavy pan then add the onions and fennel and saute over a low heat until soft but not coloured. This may take up to 20 minutes.

Turn the heat up a little and add the rice, stirring it around so all the grains get coated with the buttery vegetable juices.

Tip in the Pernod and let bubble down until all but evaporated.

Add the stock a ladleful at a time, stirring and letting the rice absorb each ladleful of stock before adding the next.

When the rice is nearly ready (remembering that when it is finished you still want it to have a little bite) add the peas & lemon juice.

When you have finished adding the stock and the rice is ready (as per the above), stir in the goats cheese and remaining butter.

Remove the pan from the heat, cover with a lid and set aside for five minutes.

Divide between 2 bowls and with the reserved fennel fronds.

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