Ingredients

• 4 balls buffalo mozzarella
• thinly sliced
• 4 large Oxheart tomatoes
• thinly sliced
• 4 sprigs fresh basil
• leaves only
• to serve
• freshly ground black pepper
• 60g/2½oz fresh basil leaves
• 50g/2oz pine nuts
• toasted
• 50g/2oz parmesan
• grated
• 2 cloves garlic
• peeled
• 125-175ml/4½-5fl oz extra virgin olive oil
• 700g/1lb 9oz monkfish fillet
• trimmed and cut into small chunks
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
• For the salad
• lay the slices of mozzarella and tomato onto four serving plates
• alternating the mozzarella and tomato slices in a circle around the edges. Place into the oven to warm through for five minutes.
• For the pesto
• place the basil
• pine nuts
• parmesan and garlic into a food processor and blend to a fine purée. Add 125ml/4½fl oz of the olive oil and blend again until well combined. If the pesto is too thick
• add the remaining olive oil to thin it out. (You may not need all of the olive oil.) Set aside.
• For the monkfish
• heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the fish on all sides for 4-5 minutes
• or until golden-brown and cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the fish to rest for a few minutes.
• Drizzle 3-4 tablespoons of the pesto over the fish and mix well to coat.
• To serve
• carefully remove the plates of mozzarella and tomato from the oven using oven gloves. Spoon the monkfish onto the centre of the plates
• then drizzle the remaining pesto around the mozzarella and tomato. Garnish with a few fresh basil leaves and season with some freshly ground black pepper.