← Nouns Cooking · French

Ingredients

• 800 g monkfish tail fillets (or cod or hake), cut into large chunks
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 leek (white part), sliced
• 1 Onion, sliced
• 1 Carrot, sliced
• 1 small fennel bulb, sliced
• 1 piece strip of orange zest
• 150 ml dry white wine
• 1 l fish stock
• 2 sprigs Thyme
• 1 Bay leaves
• 4 cloves garlic cloves, for the aïoli, crushed to a paste
• 3 egg yolks, for the aïoli
• 200 ml mild olive oil, for the aïoli
• 8 slices baguette slices, toasted
• Salt

Method

1. Make the aïoli: whisk the garlic paste, 1 egg yolk and a pinch of salt, then add the 200 ml olive oil drop by drop, whisking all the time, until thick like mayonnaise. Put half aside for serving.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide pan over medium heat and soften the leek, onion, carrot and fennel for 8 min. Add the orange zest, wine, stock, thyme and bay, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 min.
3. Season the fish, slip it into the broth and poach at a gentle simmer for 6–8 min until just opaque. Lift the fish into warm bowls with a slotted spoon. Strain the broth.
4. Whisk the remaining 2 egg yolks into the other half of the aïoli in a large bowl, then slowly whisk in a ladle of the hot broth.
5. Pour this back into the rest of the broth in the pan and stir over a very low heat for 3–4 min, until thickened and creamy. Do not let it boil or it will curdle.
6. Pour the creamy broth over the fish, and serve with toasted baguette and the extra aïoli.

Tips

• Raw egg yolks go into the aïoli: use very fresh, ideally pasteurised eggs.
• Contains fish, egg and gluten (bread).
• The extra aïoli is served raw, so leave it out for pregnant women, young children or anyone vulnerable.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

French Cooking Academy The Good Life France Delicious Magazine