Monkfish à la Provençale

By Martha Rose Shulman

Total Time: About 1 hour 30 minutes
Rating: 4(162)
Notes: Read community notes

Gigot de Mer à la Provençale is roasted monkfish seasoned with rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and garlic that is served on a bed of ratatouille. What could be more Provençale?

Featured in: Roasted Monkfish, a Dish to Fool Lobster Lovers

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1very large eggplant (about 1½ pounds), diced
Salt
5tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling dish
2medium onions, finely chopped
1red bell pepper, seeded and cut in thin 2-inch lengths
1green bell pepper, seeded and cut in thin 2-inch lengths
3large garlic cloves, minced, plus 1 clove, sliced
2large zucchini (about 1¼ pounds), diced
Black pepper
1bay leaf, broken in half
1teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1large tomato, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
12-pound monkfish tail, skin off
2shallots, minced
1cup dry white wine
Slivered fresh basil leaves for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment and place eggplant on top. Season with salt to taste and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place in oven on middle rack and roast for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 375 degrees.
Step 2
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy lidded skillet or casserole and add onions and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until just about tender, about 5 minutes.
Step 3
Add minced garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add zucchini and roasted eggplant, and stir together. Season generously with salt and pepper and add ½ bay leaf, ½ teaspoon rosemary and ½ teaspoon thyme. When vegetables are sizzling, cover pan, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Step 4
Meanwhile, oil a large baking dish or gratin (large enough to accommodate ratatouille and fish). Season monkfish on both sides with salt and pepper. Make a few slits in the top and insert garlic slices. Place fish in baking dish, rounded side up.
Step 5
Sprinkle shallots around fish. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over fish and sprinkle with remaining rosemary and thyme. Break up remaining bay leaf into a few pieces and scatter over fish. Pour wine into baking dish and place in oven for 25 minutes.
Step 6
Remove baking dish from oven and carefully transfer fish to the baking sheet you used for the eggplant. Pour off liquid in baking dish and discard.
Step 7
Transfer ratatouille to baking dish and place fish on top. Return to oven and bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until fish is completely opaque and can be pulled from the bone. Monkfish won’t flake apart like other white-fleshed fish; the texture is similar to cooked lobster. Remove from oven. Remove pieces of bay leaf, then garnish with basil and serve.

Ratings

4 out of 5

162 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Stephen5 years ago

A good sub would be different guests

carol6 years ago

Had leftover ratatouille and a smaller piece of monkfish so I altered the recipe accordingly. It was a good idea I would not have tried without having first seen the recipe in the Times.

dad6 years ago

Monkfish has a unique flavor and texture, but you can substitute snapper, sea bass, halibut, mahi-mahi or sea scallops.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/articles/a-guide-to-buying-and-cookin...

mchristiekroll6 years ago

It is excellent. Understated, flavorful. This will be a go to recipe for me. I might add some salad olives in place of salt. The eggplant was excellent.

ChiaviDiBasso4 years ago

I couldn’t throw away the cooking liquid (throw away wine, shallots, fish juices and herbs?!?!?). So I reduced it hard and used it as a sauce. It was delicious! It is a great recipe

RunnerMom42 years ago

I added olives - true Provencale style - and used cod instead of monkfish. Excellent! But beware, cod has less cooking time than monkfish.

Ed O’Donnell2 years ago

Saving the liquid…exactly. I was very surprised they said to toss. I would freeze it, use later. But boiling down is a great idea for a sauce.

sd2 years ago

I made this with the Craig Clairborne/Pierre Franey ratatouille recipe, which I love. It makes more ratatouille than I needed for my fish, but I'm glad for the leftovers. The monkfish was delicious and easy to make, but I think next time I will save some of the cooking juices in the pan to infuse the vegetables with the fish flavor.

cheyt2 years ago

this made an aggressive amount of food, luckily the vegetables really cooked down but nearly too much to where my eggplant became a bit of a paste. oddly my monkfish didn’t cook fully either so i had to finish in the pan but I do have a suspect oven. I also ended up appreciating the sear had on the fish. I added capers because the veg felt it really needed some acid and salt. I think olives would be been even better. dish was safe, eaten and enjoyed, but not a total stand out and home run

Chris2 years ago

I thought the vegetables were way overcooked. They had great flavor just soggy.

Dr. C4 years ago

Pretty good would’ve added some lemon juice with the wine but just putting it on afterwards is fine