Something Fishy with Simon Rhodes from Lobsterpot Fishmongers, Wood Street Food Hall

THE award for the most beautiful fish goes to... The Monkfish… sorry there has been a mistake…!

These are probably the ugliest fish in our waters. They have enormous heads which are not in proportion to their bodies — they have a face that only a mother could love. The heads are removed at sea so as not to scare any children on land! All that is sold at market are the monkfish tails.

Having said that this once neglected, under-used fish was used for scampi and, can you believe, it was also a by-catch years ago. Then, some TV chefs did some amazing things with it and suddenly it became a star overnight.

It doesn’t have a big flavour but what makes it popular is that it allows itself to be complemented by other flavours around it and holds itself well in stew and curries without breaking up.

As the fish holds a lot of juice it is advisable to season it with salt for an hour before cooking as this will draw out the moisture and will make it easier to roast or fry.

A great recipe is monkfish wrapped in Parma ham in a tarragon red wine jus.

First boil and reduce about 200ml of red wine to about 175ml in a pan. Sweat some finely chopped shallots and some chopped wild mushrooms in a little butter in another pan. Add about 200ml of chicken stock to the mushrooms and reduce by a third. Add the red wine to the stock and add about 75ml of white wine vinegar to the mushrooms and stock and boil for 15-20 minutes.

Lay out some Parma ham slices and overlap them. Place the trimmed and skinned monkfish in the ham and wrap it around the fish nice and tight. Place it in some clingfilm, roll it tight and secure the ends so you have what looks like a sausage. Place the monkfish in gently boiling water for about 15 minutes. Once the sauce has reduced add a small knob of butter and a little cream or crème fraiche. Season, add a little sugar and just a hint of chopped fresh tarragon.

Remove the monkfish from the clingfilm carefully and place it in a pan with a knob of butter just to colour the ham.

Serve the sauce in a bowl and cut the monkfish into portions and lay in the sauce.

We are happy to prepare your monkfish for you if you like.