How to make monkfish with braised red peppers and hand-made, fresh chorizo meatballs

With the thought of all the Christmas food to come later this month, the next week or so seems a good time to put together something just as delicious, but rather more refined.

This recipe from Kimberley Hernandez seems to fit that bill perfectly. Kimberley's dishes at The Silver Birch in Chiswick aim to celebrate 'culinary expertise and playfulness' as well as seasonally-picked, British ingredients.

Chorizo might not strike you as British, of course — and if you were talking about shop-bought slices, you'd be right. But Kimberley's recipe sees you making the chorizo meatballs fresh, using minced pork.

Recipe: Monkfish, Braised Red Peppers and Fresh Chorizo

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 200g monkfish
• Salt
• Pepper
• 100g Torn, day-old bread

For the fresh chorizo meatballs

• 250g Minced Pork
• 5 g Ground Cumin
• 5g Paprika
• 2g Chilli Flakes
• 3g Salt
• 2g Ground Black Pepper
• 7g Minced Garlic

For the braised red peppers

• 250g Thin Sliced Peeled Roasted Piquillo Red Peppers
• 125g Thin Sliced Sweet Onions
• 12g Thin Sliced Garlic
• 250g Crushed Plum Tomatoes;
• 20g Sweet Smoked Paprika
• 20g Sherry Vinegar
• 5g Salt
• 2g Pepper
• 50g Olive Oil

Method

Start by making the fresh chorizo meatballs. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on low/medium speed, mix together all ingredients for approximately five minutes to allow for the proteins of the pork to stretch. Alternatively it can be kneaded by handed for about 10 minutes to achieve similar results.

Let marinade for minimum 30 minutes, then portion into eight meatballs.

Next, make the braised red pepper sauce. In a pan on medium low heat, combine onions, garlic in olive oil until pale and translucent.

Add piquillo red peppers, paprika, salt and pepper to the pan. Gently stir together to deepen paprika flavour until fragrant, approximately four minutes, then add crushed tomatoes.

Lower the heat and slowly braise together for approximately 10 minutes. Season with red wine vinegar.

Finally, for the fish and to put it all together, start out by preheating the oven to 180 degrees, and season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper.

Using a pan on medium high heat, drizzle oil on hot pan and add the fresh chorizo meatballs to sear them. Once seared on all sides, lower heat to a medium low setting and gently lay in the fish. Sear the monkfish for approximately 45 seconds on each side.

Add the day-old bread pieces to fry and absorb any excess drippings from the chorizo and monkfish, then place the pan in oven for approximately five minutes.

Remove the pan from oven check internal cooking temperatures of the fresh chorizo (73C) and monkfish (63C). Once reached, remove the monkish and then add the braised red pepper sauce to the pan. Gently stir sauce in with the fried bread, and chorizo.

Once the sauce is hot and combined with the bread and chorizo, place on serving dish.

Slice monkfish into large chunky cuts and assemble them on top of braised pepper sauce.

Garnish with flat leaf parsley and enjoy!

Credit: Melanie Johnson

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