French Baked Monkfish

This French Baked Monkfish is a simple recipe for preparing monkfish in the oven, topped with a tasty mushroom sauce and served with a selection of autumn vegetables. Monkfish, or la lotte in French, is the perfect fish for those who love scallops or lobster as the consistency of monkfish is similar to both. If you are looking for other delicious fish dishes, try our salmon meuniere next!

What is monkfish?

Monkfish is a white fish that has a mild and slightly sweet taste. The only part of the monkfish that is eaten is the tail. The meat is firm, dense and boneless and doesn’t flake when cooked like most fish.

What does monkfish taste like?

Monkfish is a mild fish with a slightly sweet taste. It is similar in consistency to scallops or lobster. It is not overly “fishy”.

French Baked Monkfish Ingredients

For the mushroom sauce:

• Mushrooms
• Shallot
• Garlic
• Thyme
• Bay leaf

For the monk fish:

• Monkfish
• Carrot
• Turnip
• Romanesco
• Thyme
• Hazelnuts
• Leek
• Shallots
• Mushroom
• Espelette pepper
• Olive oil

Prepare the mushroom sauce

• Step 1 – Pour the water into a sauce pan.
• Step 2 – Add the mushrooms, shallots, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and salt.
• Step 3 – Heat on high heat until it begins to bubble.
• Step 4 – Turn to medium heat and cook until the sauce reduces by 75%.
• Step 5 – Remove the mushrooms, shallots, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and continue to reduce the sauce until you have about a 1/4 cup of sauce left. Put aside.

How to bake monkfish and prepare the vegetables

• Step 1 – Preheat oven to 375F (180C).
• Step 2 – Meanwhile, heat a medium pot of water with a teaspoon of salt.
• Step 3 – When the water starts to boil, add the carrot, turnips and romanesco and cook for 5 minutes.
• Step 4 – Season the monkfish with salt and black pepper.
• Step 5 – Put the monkfish in a large oven dish.
• Step 6 – Add the carrots, turnips, romanesco, thyme and hazelnuts.
• Step 7 – Pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
• Step 8 – Sprinkle with Espelette pepper (or another subtly spicy pepper).
• Step 9 – Bake for 5 minutes.
• Step 10 – Add the half cup of water and continue to cook for another 25 minutes.
• Step 11 – Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a small frying pan.
• Step 12 – Add the leeks and shallots, season and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Step 13 – Reheat the mushroom sauce slowly.
• Step 14 – Serve the monkfish with all the vegetables.
• Step 15 – Top the monkfish with 2 slices of raw mushrooms and pour 2 tablespoons of mushroom sauce over the dish.

What to serve with baked monkfish

For this recipe, we served the monkfish with carrots, turnips and romanesco.

Monkfish is a mild, meaty fish, so it pairs well with a large variety of vegetables.

Depending on the season you could serve monkfish with :

• Salad with a simple French vinaigrette
• Pasta, such as tagliatelle or angel hair pasta.
• Spice things up by serving monkfish with an Indian veggie dish like this Indian zucchini.
• Serve with a side of easy ratatouille.

Which wine with monkfish?

We would generally recommend a white wine with most fish, including monkfish. A White Burgundy like a Chablis, a Mâconnais or a Côte de Beaune would be best.

How long will monkfish last in the fridge?

It is always best to eat fish right away. We like to go and buy it fresh at the market and cook it immediately the same day. However, you can keep it in the fridge for 1-2 days. Once it is cooked, you can keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Monkfish alternatives

If for some reason you cannot find monkfish or you would prefer an alternative for this recipe, you could substitute lobster, halibut, cod or haddock instead of monkfish. If you love the preparation, you could also make the recipe again using lobster or a different fish in the future.

For another monkfish recipe, we recommend this Monfish Bourrade, a traditional French Provençal recipe of monkfish with onions, tomato, garlic, Provençal herbs, orange peel and olive oil and bread crumbs, served with an aioli mayonnaise.

More Fish Recipes

• Salmon Meunière
• French Salmon Mousse
• Japanese Salmon

French Baked Monkfish

Invite France into your home with this easy French baked monkfish served with Fall vegetables (mushrooms, romanesco, turnips and carrots) and a Heavenly mushroom sauce.

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