Smoky bean and monkfish stew recipe
Simple and quick to cook, this fish stew is brimming with Mediterranean flavours. Monkfish is fantastic as it holds itself well in stews and curries, and stands up to bold flavours.
Tip: Monkfish isn't the cheapest of fish so if you want to use an alternative, prawns, cod cheeks, hake or gurnard will all work really well in this dish.
Tip: The end result will be pretty different, but to make this a vegetarian stew, you can swap the monkfish for double the amount of beans. Use a mixture of beans to create different shapes and textures – some smaller haricot beans combined with butter beans, or even giant butter beans, is great. Sautéing half a thinly sliced fennel with the onion is also a nice addition to this vegetarian version.
Ingredients
- 500 g monkfish fillet
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, peeled and sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1.5 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 400 g tinned cannellini beans, butter or haricot beans, drained
- 1 roasted red pepper, thinly sliced
- 850 ml fish stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 handful chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 pinch flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Details
- Cuisine: British
- Recipe Type: Stew
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 10 mins
- Cooking Time: 30 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Cut the monkfish into equal-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat a large pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the onions and gently sauté for 5–6 minutes, until they are softened and starting to colour.
- Stir in the garlic, paprika and tomato purée, and continue to cook for a further 1–2 minutes.
- Add the beans, red pepper, stock and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Stir the monkfish into the stew, return to a simmer and cook gently for 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley, and season to taste.
- Divide between bowls and serve hot.
This recipe is from The Flexible Pescatarian by Jo Pratt. Published by White Lion Publishing (March 2019, hardback, £20). Photography by Susan Bell.
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