Monkfish, cedar and basque whisky

This beautiful monkfish, cedar and basque whisky dish from Elena Arzak incorporates monkfish in four different ways - simmered, seared, smoked and fried. It's a dish that is full or surprises, and truly makes the most of Spain's incredible seafood.

Ingredients

• 200 g ofmonkfish liver
• 0.5 spring onion, thinly sliced and fried in olive oil over a low heat
• 50 g ofbrandy
• 1 sun-dried tomato
• 2 tspÑora pepper paste
• 0.5 garlic clove
• oil
• salt
• coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 monkfish loin, cut into four
• coarse sea salt, enough to cover the monkfish
• 250 ml ofbrandy, mixed with the cedar wood chops, for smoking the monkfish circles
• 100 g ofmonkfish loin
• 80 g ofcoarse sea salt
• 1.5 l water
• 500 g ofmonkfish skin
• 1 leek, greens parts only, roughly sliced
• 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• vegetable oil, for frying
• salt
• 250 g ofsun-dried tomatoes
• 50 g ofbutter, melted
• 350 g of chicken stock
• 45 g ofwhiskey
• 50 g ofsake
• 10 g of cane sugar
• 0.5 orange, zested
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 avocado
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• salt
• 90 g ofItalian meringue
• 120 g ofspinach
• 1 medium egg
• 100 g of water
• 300 g of plain flour
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 6 g ofsalt
• vegetable oil, for frying

Steps

1. Clean the monkfish livers well, and chop into small pieces
2. Sauté the monkfish livers in a pan. Once they have turned golden, add the poached spring onion. Sauté well and flambé with the brandy
3. Using a mortar and pestle, pound all the remaining ingredients
4. Once this is done, add the cooked liver and spring onion mixture to the mortar and mash again
5. Place a pan on the heat and add a little oil. Transfer the mixture from the mortar and pestle to the hot pan, and sauté. Season with salt and pepper
6. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve, so that it becomes creamy. Set aside
7. For the mojo monkfish, cover the four pieces of monkfish loin in salt for 3 minutes
8. Wash off the salt with cold water. Dry thoroughly
9. Spread the loins with the monkfish liver mojo sauce
10. Cook the monkfish on a plancha (cast iron griddle pan)
11. For the monkfish circles, drain the whiskey-soaked wood chips and add them to a smoker
12. Cover the monkfish with coarse sea salt for 7 minutes
13. Remove the salt, using a damp cloth, and dry the fish well
14. Smoke the monkfish with the whiskey-soaked cedar wood for 7 minutes
15. Shape into a cylinder using cling film, and freeze until solid. This will be sliced into thin circles just before serving
16. For the monkfish skin crisps, place the water, monkfish skin, leek, onion and salt in a pan. Cook over a medium heat for 90 minutes, then blend. Strain out the liquid
17. Place the mixture into square moulds and freeze until sold
18. Slice the frozen monkfish skin mixture into 5mm slices. Pat dry
19. Deep fry the monkfish skins for just a few seconds. Season with salt and set aside
20. For the whiskey sauce, bring the sun-dried tomatoes, butter, chicken stock, whiskey, sake, sugar, orange zest and some salt and pepper to a simmer
21. Blend the mixture together and then strain. Season to taste
22. For the avocado meringue, mix the avocado, lemon juice, olive oil and salt in the Thermomix until you get a smooth paste. Strain
23. Fold the avocado paste into the meringue. Set aside
24. For the spinach tile, mix the spinach together with the egg in the Thermomix
25. Add the water, plain flour, olive oil and salt and mix again
26. Next, knead the mixture in a bowl until it does not stick to your hands. Let it rest, covered, for 30 minutes
27. Roll out the dough in a pasta machine until you reach the thinnest setting
28. Cut into 10x7cm squares, and deep fry until crisp. Set aside
29. To serve, first thinly slice the frozen monkfish circles. Place the monkfish circles in the middle of the plate, and top with the avocado meringue
30. Dress the mojo-marinated monkfish with extra sauce and place it to one side of the plate. Lean a spinach pasta crisp against it. Dot remaining sauce next to the fish
31. Break up the fried monkfish skins and arrange on the other side of the plate