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Deep fried monkfish tail in breadcrumbs with ratatouille and chunky chips

Nigel Haworth from Market Kitchen
Nigel Haworth's version of an old favourite means fish and chips has never tasted so good

Deep fried monkfish tail in breadcrumbs with ratatouille and chunky chips

Method

1. For the ratatouille: preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6.

2. Heat a generous slug of olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan and fry the tomatoes carefully until slightly softened, but not mushy. Sprinkle with sea salt and a little icing sugar and bake in the oven for 5 minutes.

3. Chop the aubergines, courgettes, peppers and onion into 2cm cubes. Lightly salt the aubergine.

4. Add a little olive oil to a hot pan and fry the vegetables, one type after another, until tender, but not mushy. Return them all to the pan and add the tomato sauce, tomato purée, garlic and basil. Warm through, then stir in the cherry tomatoes and a little of the juice they have given off. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5. For the chunky chips: peel and cut the potatoes into chips, 10cm long x 1.5cm wide.

6. Heat up the beef dripping in an electric deep-fat fryer to 120C. Put the chips into the oil at this temperature and cook them lightly to blanch them. Drain on kitchen paper and reserve until ready to serve.

7. When ready to serve, heat the ratatouille gently until warmed through.

8. Season a little plain flour with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Dust the monkfish tail in the flour, dip into beaten egg yolk, then roll in breadcrumbs. Deep-fry in hot oil for 4 minutes at 140C until golden.

9. Turn up the heat on the deep-fat fryer to 180C and plunge the blanched chips into the dripping until they are golden brown.

10. To serve, put the ratatouille in the centre of the plate, place the monkfish on top and serve with chunky chips, caper mayonnaise and half a lemon, wrapped in muslin.

Cook's note: See Chunky Tomato Sauce.

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Serves: 1

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 35 min

Ingredients
plain flour, for dusting
220-250g monkfish tail, skinned and trimmed
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
dried breadcrumbs, for crumbing
sunflower oil, for deep-frying

For the ratatouille

50g cherry tomatoes
Olive oil, for frying
icing sugar, to sprinkle
50g Aubergines, cut into cubes
50g courgettes, cut into cubes
50g mixed Peppers, (green, red and yellow), deseeded and sliced
50g onion, sliced
Olive oil, for frying
1 heaped tbsp Chunky Tomato Sauce, (see Cook’s note below)
2 tsp tomato purée
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small handful basil leaves, finely chopped