Monkfish Tikka Kebabs

A few weeks back I receive a text from my brother asking if I want any fish. Despite my brother being a chef I kind of felt this was very random but as I love a bit of fish, I said yes. He then asked me “what do you want”? I politely ask for whatever and he offers up some Haddock, Plaice, Turbot and the almighty Monkfish. I say yes to them all, followed up with “where did you get them”?

As I found out, my brothers friend is a commercial fisherman and he takes some of the catch and offered it to my brother. Simple as that, no dodgy black market dealings, just a mate who catches fish and had surplus stock…. HAPPY DAYS.

If you have never seen what a Monkfish looks like then please Google it as they are the ugliest things I’ve ever seen, however and this is a huge HOWEVER, the meat you get from their cheeks and tail is some of the finest fish you will ever taste…no joke.

So I pick up my collection of fish and was amazed at the size of the tail I was given….it was gargantuan:

Anytime I have had Monkfish, it has been from an Indian restaurant where they tend to serve it grilled with a Tikka sauce. I’ve made this a few times over the years but not since my kids were born so I thought I’d chance my luck and see if they would eat it too (kids are the fussiest eaters).

Needless to say it was a success. The recipe below is super easy to make and you can even marinade the fish overnight but 30 minutes will also suffice. If you can’t be bothered making your own tikka sauce then a spoonful or two of Tikka paste, mixed in with natural yoghurt will do.

Enjoy and let me know what you think:

Recipe:

INGREDIENTS

500g monkfish tail, cubed

FOR THE MARINADE

225g natural yoghurt
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon lime juice (about half a lime)
1 teaspoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon garam masala plus extra to serve
75g wild rice

METHOD

In a bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients and add the monkfish.
Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
Grill the monkfish skewers for a couple of minutes each side, or until cooked through and charred a little on the outside.

Serve with your cooked rice and a dollop of Tzatziki (the more the merrier)
It doesn’t look much but it tastes amazing.