Monkfish Fillet Portion from France (Frozen)

TASTING NOTES FROM THE CURATOR

The monkfish is not a pretty fish; it has small eyes, a large head, with a wide mouth and fang-like teeth. This fillet portion is bright white, with a texture comparable to cooked lobster. Its flavor is mild and sweet, and lacks that often-unwanted “fishy” taste.

PREPARATION AND PAIRINGS

A lean fish that loses moisture and shrinks when cooked, the Monkfish “Fillet” Portion is best salted or brined before cooking to mitigate this effect. This fish is great to bake, broil, fry, grill or sauté. It can hold sauces and marinades really well, and is great with flavors like capers, lemon, and garlic.

SILENT AND PREDATORY

Monkfish are generally bottom-dwelling fish, meaning they spend most of their time on the ocean floor. But every once in a while, they will swim toward the surface to hunt birds like cormorants, puffins, and gulls. Yes, monkfish are carnivorous, and they are also ambush predators, silently sitting and waiting for their prey. They lure their prey with the modified spine on the top of their heads. They feed on a diet of cods, mackerels, herrings, sea bass, and sand eels. And thanks to their very large mouths, they can swallow their prey in one piece.

Storage Instructions

Arrives frozen. Once thawed, it must be consumed within 48 hours.