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Monkfish Is Bulletproof For Holiday Fare

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By Jaden Hair

Tribune correspondent

Published: December 9, 2008

Updated: 12/12/2008 10:52 pm

The tradition of gift-giving in my family, specifically Mom, Dad and Brother, is slightly warped. Well, to be nice, let's call it "efficient." We take matters in our own hands to ensure that each person receives exactly the gift he or she wants. There are no surprise gifts: You'll never find extraneous knick-knacks under our tree, and definitely no shirts in wrong sizes or ugly striped sweaters that you'll never wear.

Mom ran a tight ship, especially when times were tough. Birthdays and Christmases were the only occasions when we'd get nice presents. So we had to make those count. We each knew exactly what we wanted because we'd been pining and drooling all season long for that one thing. By the time December came around, we each had "it" all picked out — the color, options and model — even down to the exact serial number.

Back before the days of Internet shopping, we had to depend on a store's inventory, which could be pretty erratic during the holiday season. So why risk losing the beautiful, perfect "it" that was right there on the shelf, 6 inches from your nose? What if this was some stranger's "it," too, and it was the very last one in the universe? Can you imagine the waterfall of tears if all I ever wanted was a blond-haired Cabbage Patch Kid and I ended up getting a stupid old stinky sock monkey instead?

So of course the only solution was to just purchase it right then and there. Mom didn't bother wasting money on cheesy wrapping paper and a stick-on bow, because I already knew what my gift was. In fact, I probably already had opened the box and covered my prize in kisses and hugs.

Now, before you tsk-tsk me, I have to state again that it's Mom's fault; she started the whole thing, and the rest of the family followed suit.

But it works. No stupid gifts, and we all get exactly what we want! Sorry, Mom, for ratting you out on this one. And um, I already bought the pink cashmere scarf from Nordstrom's that I wanted so badly ... $34.95, please.

MONKFISH IN THAI COCONUT CURRY SAUCE

I found super-fresh monkfish at Fresh Market the other day, and it was absolutely divine. Monkfish is not the prettiest fish in the sea. In fact, it's a downright scary-looking creature with a face only a bigger fish would love. Thank goodness it's almost always sold as fillets and its taste is no reflection of its looks! Monkfish is often referred to as "poor man's lobster" because the taste and texture are similar. Serve this with a side of jasmine rice or sliced French bread.

1 pound monkfish fillets

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon high heat cooking oil

1 to 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (amount depends on your spice preference)

3 cups (24 ounces) coconut milk

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

One 5-ounce can sliced bamboo shoots, drained

1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)

1/2 lime, juiced

Slice the monkfish into 4 equal pieces and season on both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a sauté pan on high heat until very hot. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Lay the monkfish in the pan, not touching. Sauté for 1 minute, flip and sauté the other side for 1 minute. Remove the monkfish from the pan onto a plate.

For the same pan, turn the heat to low. Add the curry paste and stir to fry the paste for 15 seconds to release the oils. Whisk in the coconut milk and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the bell peppers, bamboo shoots and fish sauce (optional). Simmer for 3 minutes. Taste and add an additional teaspoon of fish sauce — or 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and sugar — if desired. You may also want to add additional curry paste if you prefer a spicier sauce.

Snuggle the monkfish fillets back into the pan with the curry sauce and cover. Simmer for 2 to 4 minutes until the monkfish is cooked through. Stir in the lime juice and serve with French bread to dip or jasmine rice.

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