MUSSEL AND MONKFISH SAFFRON CHOWDER
A less-than-traditional ‘chowder’, this deliciously creamy seafood soup is a perfect base for any white fish and shellfish.
Ingredients
30ml cooking oil
4 x 150-gram Monkfish fillets
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, peeled, roughly chopped
For the mussel broth:
2 medium shallots, peeled, finely chopped
120ml dry white wine Pinch saffron threads
1 kilogram fresh mussels, de-bearded
1 small carrot, peeled, finely diced
1 small leek, washed, finely sliced
2 agria potatoes, peeled, roughly diced
500ml Foundation Foods fish stock
100ml Green Valley cream
5 grams fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C
Place a large saucepan over a high heat, add the shallots, white wine, saffron and mussels, cover with a lid and cook for 3-5 mins until the mussels start to open
Strain through a colander, reserving the cooking liquor
When the mussels are cool enough to handle, remove them from their shells and reserve, keeping some in the shell for garnish and discarding the remaining shells
Put the cooking liquor back into the saucepan over a high heat and reduce by half, about 3-5 mins. Add the vegetables and fish stock then reduce again for 3-5 mins, season to taste. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm
Heat a large frying pan on a medium-high heat and add cooking oil
Season the monk fish all over and sear in the frying pan on both sides until golden, you may need to do this in two batches so as not to overcrowd the pan
Transfer to an oven dish along with the thyme and garlic, place in the oven for 6-8 mins. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly before slicing
Add the cream to the cooking liquor and bring back to the boil for 2 mins to reduce a little, season to taste. Add the parsley and mussels and stir to combine, remove from the heat
To serve, warm four large bowls and divide the mussel broth between them, place the sliced monk fish on top. If using mussels in the shell, garnish and serve with some crusty sourdough bread