Ingredients

• 2 small monkfish fillets
• fully trimmed
• cut into 1cm/½in thick escalopes
• pinch salt
• 125g/4½oz unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 50ml/2fl oz good red wine
• 50ml/2fl oz red wine vinegar
• 50g/2oz caster sugar
• 1 shallot
• finely diced
• 1 garlic clove
• peeled
• 1 sprig fresh thyme

Directions

• Season the monkfish with a little salt.
• Heat a large frying pan until medium hot
• add a knob of the butter and all the oil. Cook the monkfish on each side until just golden – about a minute either side.
• Remove the fish and rest on a plate covered in cling film.
• Place the red wine
• vinegar
• sugar
• 50ml/2fl oz water and shallot into a saucepan and cook until reduced to a syrup.
• Heat a frying pan over a high heat and cook the remaining butter
• thyme and whole garlic clove until a nut-brown colour.
• Mix the red wine syrup and butter together – there should be double the quantity of butter to red wine – check the seasoning
• then remove the garlic clove.
• To serve
• place the monkfish onto plates then spoon the red wine dressing over the top.