Streaky bacon-wrapped monkfish with a hint of thyme served with new potatoes, samphire & sugar snap peas makes for a wonderful, elegant meal.
Monkfish is meatier than most white fish meat, and as a result, this dish takes longer than many fish recipes, but this complete meal will still cook in around 45 minutes.
Roasted Wrapped Monkfish
Stuff wrapped in bacon is always magical, and I do a fair bit of it on my website. I've got recipes that range from chicken Balmoral to bacon-wrapped cod loin and bacon-wrapped pork loin to stuffed onions wrapped in bacon.
This recipe sees me return to fish and some beautifully meaty roasted bacon-wrapped monkfish tail with thyme and black pepper.
Monkfish is a fantastic fish, its firm and meaty texture is the perfect fish to serve to people who are less keen on fish.
I've even wrapped this dish up as a whole meal thanks to the addition of a side of potatoes, samphire and sugar snap peas cooked in butter and cider... how good am I to you?
It's a recipe that will come together in around 45 minutes, and it tastes just as good as it looks.
I've provided instructions to cook the fish in both an air fryer and an oven for convenience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this better cooked in an air fryer or the oven?
I usually cook this in an air fryer because preheating an oven for a 300g piece of fish and 20-odd minutes cooking time seems a bit wasteful.
In terms of the final result, there is very little in it, although the bacon colours up a little better in the air fryer.
Can I use a different type of fish?
From a flavour point of view, this will work with any type of meaty white fish. However, timings and techniques will vary significantly because of the unique texture of monkfish.
Can I make this in advance?
I would not cook and reheat the fish because it will overcook.
What sort of cider should I use?
I use Aspall Premier Cru as my cider of choice for cooking, it is fantastic stuff. But any dry cider will work just fine.
If you are in the US, please note that cider refers to booze here in Europe. Please do not make this with what you guys call "apple cider". You are looking for hard cider, and I do not have any form of reference to the types you have available.
Is there a substitution for samphire?
Samphire has a beautifully unique, sour salty flavour and as a result, there is no like-for-like substitution. It is commonly available at fishmongers, which is where you will likely need to go for some good monkfish.
Having said that, Tesco occasionally stocks samphire in their "finest" range.
If you cannot get samphire, thin asparagus makes for a pleasing substitution, even if it is not a like-for-like flavour substitution.
Serving Suggestions
I've developed this bacon-wrapped roasted monkfish recipe as a complete meal. However, there is no reason why you could not change out the potato and samphire elements.
The first dish that springs to mind would be petits pois a la Francaise. Doubling down on the bacon in this recipe with the addition of peas, garlic and cream is a match made in heaven.
It's also a recipe that would work well with mash, but I would recommend celeriac mash over mashed potato. The earthy, nutty flavours just work better with this dish in my mind.
If you go down the route of mas,h then you might want some greens. I would go for some roasted tenderstem broccoli, mainly because I could throw it in the oven or the air fryer with the monkfish.
Other dishes that get an honourable mention that would match well with this fish dish are green beans amandine, creamed leeks and my samphire salad.
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Oven or Air Fryer.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- Kitchen tongs.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
- Chopping Board.
- Kitchen knife.
- A combination of weighing scales, measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
- A quick-read meat thermometer (optional).
Bacon Wrapped Monkfish Recipe with Potatoes, Samphire and Sugar Snap Peas
Ingredients
- 300-325 g Monkfish Tail 11-12oz
- 3 Sprigs Thyme
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon Salt Plus Extra for Boiling Potatoes
- 1 Pinch of Black Pepper
- 3-4 Rashers Streaky Bacon 75g
- 325 g New Potatoes 12oz
- 100 g Sugar Snap Peas 1 Cup
- 75 g Samphire ¾-1 Cup
- 1 Lemon
- 30 g Butter 2 tablespoon
- 75 ml Cider ⅓ Cup
Instructions
- Cut the new potatoes into bite-sized pieces, place them into and 18cm (7") saucepan of well-salted water (I use 1 teaspoon in a pan this size), bring them to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let them air dry for a minute or two.
- Pick the leaves from 2 of the sprigs of thyme, season the monkfish with a pinch of salt then sprinkle over the thyme leaves.
- "Thin out" the rashers of streaky bacon by placing them on a chopping board and drag the blunt edge of the knife over them, then wrap the fish in the bacon. Be sure that the bacon "join" I on the bottom of the fish.
- Top and tail the sugar snap peas and cut them in half.
- Zest the lemon, then cut the lemon in half.
- Place the bacon-wrapped fish on a baking tray and bake for 18-22 minutes in the oven at 200°°C or 390F. Alternatively, cook in an air fryer at 180°C or 350°F for 15-18 minutes. You are looking for a nice colour on the bacon and an internal temperature of around 55°C or 132°F. If you prefer your fish a little firmer you can cook it all the way up to around 63°C or 145°F, if you go any higher it will become a bit like cotton wool
- Heat a 25cm (10") frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the butter and when it begins to foam add the remaining sprig of thyme, the potatoes and the remaining salt, then saute for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the lemon zest and pour in the cider, reduce by half.
- Toss in the samphire and sugar snap peas, squeeze in the juice from half of the lemon, add a lid, remove from the heat and steam until the monkfish is ready.
- Carve the fish and serve.