monkfish wrapped in prosciutto with scallops, wilted spinach and tomato & basil sauce

Easter was upon us last weekend, and that all kicked off with Good Friday. Now for me, Good Friday is a bit of a tale of two stories. On the one hand the pubs are closed and we can't get hold of a pint during a long weekend, which just seems plain unfair. On the other hand though, we can stick with tradition and eat fish! Thanks yet again to the guys at Kish Fish, and even more so actually, as monkfish was one of their weekly specials!

Monkfish is just great; one of my definite favourites, and lovely and meaty, so it can take a good roasting, yet is still light enough to handle a strong sauce. I wrapped mine in prosciutto ham, but you can use serrano, parma ham, or even good old streaky bacon.

Ingredients

• 200g piece of monkfish tail
• 3-4 slices prosciutto ham (or an alternative - see above)
• Olive oil
• 6 scallops, corals removed
• Knob of butter
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the spinach:

• 2 bags baby spinach
• Olive oil

For the sauce:

• 1 small punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3-4 spring onions, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Half a dozen fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C (fan 200C) / 425F / gas mark 7.
2. Carefully wrap the monkfish in the ham & season with black pepper.
3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in an oven-proof frying pan until hot, add the fish and brown on all sides (around 1 minutes on each side should do it).
4. Transfer the pan to the middle shelf of the oven and roast the fish for around 8 minutes or so, until the fish is cooked all the way through.
5. Remove from the oven (be careful, it'll be very hot), place on a board and cover loosely with foil to rest for 5-7 minutes.
6. While the fish is resting, make the sauce. Heat the oil in a small frying pan over a medium high heat and add the garlic & spring onion. Fry for a couple of minutes until softened.
7. Add the cherry tomatoes and basil, and cook for around 3 minutes. The tomatoes will start to break down and go mushy.
8. That's the sauce done & can be served as it is, but I blitzed mine with a hand blender until smooth - entirely up to you!
9. Place the spinach & oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, place the lid on the pan and cook until wilted down, stirring every 30 seconds or so. Drain through a sieve or colander.
10. For the scallops, add 1 tbsp olive oil to a small frying pan along with a knob of butter, and heat until hot (but not smoking). Season your scallops with a little salt & freshly ground black pepper and add to the pan. Cook for 30 - 60 seconds, until they start to brown & caramelise, then turn and cook for the same time on the other side.
11. To serve, place the spinach in a neat pile in the centre of the plate, lay slices of the monkfish on top and drizzle a little sauce over. Put 3 more small dollops of sauce around the plate and sit the scallops on top.
12. Eat, smile, tell all your friends...

Serves 2.