My family's tradition for Christmas Eve is to eat only fish.
You won't see a drop of meat around the kitchen at this time and it gives space for creative recipes to take shape as we try blending flavours and textures to deliver the perfectly balanced, warming and healthy meal for such a special moment in our lives.
The Monkfish's firm texture but mildly sweet taste create a perfect contract to the sweet and velvety texture of the parsnip mash.
Here is the result of this, and what a result it was too!
Completely FreeFrom and wonderfully rich on taste. It is also by chance, one of the very first recipes we tried during this Christmas time.
Ingredients:
Responsibly Sourced & Fresh Monkfish, Fresh Spinach, Carrots, Parsnip, Honey, Walnut, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemon, almond milk, Salt.
How to Cook it:
Steam the spinach until cooked. Peel the parsnips slice cut them into chunks and glaze them with honey. Then roast them in the oven until cooked. Now remove the spinach from the steamer and place in a bowl to rest adding some drops of fresh lemon juice. Peel some carrots and dice them in small pieces. Place them in a pan with oil and salt and cook until soft.
Now take the monkfish and cut it into two fillets to remove the bone. Then start slicing the each fillet very finely until you have about 8 long fine fillets. Now take the spinach and place a little ball of it, in the middle of each monkfish fillet. then carefully start rolling the monkfish until you create a full roulette around the spinach. Secure with a toothpick.
Now remove the parsnip from the oven - they should be about ready by now (20 or so mins later...). Place all the parsnips in a mixing bowl and add some olive oil and almond milk. These are now ready to mash whilst hot.
Now place all the small monkfish roulettes onto the oven baking tray and cook until ready (15-20 mins). When the monkfish is ready, and the parnips have been mashed, serve all hot along with the carrots, and drizzle some more olive oil on top.
Sprinkle everything at the end with a few crushed walnuts (this is not a must, but purely a serving suggestion. For me, it adds the Warmth of Winter to the dish).
Enjoy Cooking!
Interesting fact: Monkfish benefits your nervous system by providing vitamins essential for brain function. It contains vitamins B-6 and B-12, two nutrients that aid in the synthesis of neurotransmitters needed for brain communication. Add monkfish to your diet to support your metabolism -- its mineral content helps your cells regulate enzyme function. However, monkfish is also relatively high in mercury, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, so it can pose a health risk to some individuals if eaten in large amounts
