OVERVIEW
Monkfish is a fantastic fish: mild and meaty, so quite accessible to people who don’t like fishy fish. For this recipe, I had a whole kilo of monkfish that I cut into three chunks then speared on the spit across the spine before cooking at a higher temperature than the meat options – harder and faster – while brushing with a toasted fennel and lemon butter. I then chucked some cucumbers in the coals. That’s not something I’d ever done before, but we had loads of cucumbers in the garden and I wondered what would happen! It worked really well. We made it into a warm garnish with loads of fresh herbs from the garden. The cucumber still tasted sweet and fresh, still had bite to it, but elevated by a bit of smokiness.
SET UP YOUR EGG
Set up your EGG for rotisserie cooking. The target temperature is 200°C-220°C. Cut the fins off the monkfish tail and cut into three equal-sized pieces.
SPIT ROAST THE MONKFISH
Remove the top fork from the Rotisserie spit. Carefully thread the monkfish pieces onto the spit and make sure they’re centred and secure. Add the top fork and tighten the wing screws at both ends.
Toast the fennel seeds in a dry pan until lightly golden, then blend or crush into a powder. Mix with the melted butter and lemon zest.
Install the spit, turn on the Rotisserie motor and watch the fish rotate. After a full rotation, check everything is secure, then close the Dome. Leave to spit roast for approximately 20 minutes, brushing with the fennel butter every few minutes.
CHAR THE CUCUMBER
Carefully bury the cucumber in the coals to dirty cook while the monkfish is roasting, turning after about 10 minutes – you want the skin to be black all over.
A couple of minutes from the end, quickly char the spring onions in the coals, then lift the charred cucumber and spring onions out of the coals (carefully, as they’ll be hot). Leave to cool for a couple of minutes while you take the fish off the EGG.
MAKE THE SALAD
Rub the burnt skin off the cucumber and spring onions. Cut the cucumber in half lengthways, then thinly slice.
Thinly slice the spring onions. Place in a bowl with the cucumber and the finely chopped chives, parsley and dill. Add a glug of rapeseed oil, the lemon zest and juice and smoked salt to taste.
Plate up the monkfish and serve with the salad on the side.
