Recipe: (Italy) Monkfish Nuggets

Winner of the James Beard/ KitchenAid Cookbook of the Year 2000 and Winner of the Beard Award for the Best Writing on Food 2000.

September 30, 2023

Home > Recipes > Seafood > Monkfish Nuggets

Monkfish Nuggets
Region: Italy
Category: Seafood
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy but special equipment needed

If I called deep-fried breadcrumb-coated food "nuggets" when my kids were little they were guaranteed to be gone quickly. When my daughter Dyala was three I told her we were going to have monkfish nuggets and for years she called them monkey nuggets. The firmness of the monkfish makes for a perfectly mouth-watering golden nugget. All they need is a sprinkle of salt and a squirt of lemon.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 2 to 4 servings
Preparation Time: 25 minutes

6 to 8 cups olive oil for frying

1 pound monkfish, cut in 1-inch cubes

All-purpose flour for dredging

2 large eggs, beaten

1 1/4 cups dry bread crumbs

Salt to taste

1. In a deep-fryer or an eight-inch saucepan with a wire fry basket, preheat the frying oil to 370ÂºF.

Preheat the oven to 150ÂºF.

2. Dredge the monkfish in the flour, tapping off any excess, then dip in the egg and then dredge in the bread crumbs, tapping off excess bread crumbs.

3. Fry the fish in batches until golden brown, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Do not crowd the fryer. Drain on a paper towel-lined platter or tray and salt immediately. Keep them warm in the oven while you continue cooking. Remove the paper towel or transfer to a serving platter and serve hot with lemon wedges.

Variation:

Note:

Posted: 12/29/2006

If you believe that vegetables are the keystone to a sound diet, and if you believe, as more than a few influential cooks do, that many vegetables are best-- and best prepared— in countries that surround the Mediterranean Sea, this [book Mediterranean Vegetables] may prove to be the best of all possible books. This is a lively reference book that contains a generous number of workable recipes. Here’s a book that’s likely to make the commute from bedside table to kitchen and back frequently. Voted Top 10 Cookbooks of 2001
- William Rice, Chicago Tribune

Clifford Wright is a versatile fellow. He won the James Beard Foundation’s top cookbook award a couple of years ago for his historical opus, “A Mediterranean Feast.” But he also wrote one of my favorite quick cookbooks, “Cucina Rapida.” In his newest book [Real Stew], Wright calls upon his scholarly credentials and his practical side to produce a collection of classic stews from around the world. The introductory notes for each of the 300 stews reflect Wright’s knowledge of history and world cuisines. But the recipes themselves — from Nantucket Scallop Stew to French Cassoulet to Kenyan Chicken and Coconut Stew — are straightforward and appealing.
- Margaret King, San Diego Union-Tribune

(View all)