Mark Hix recipe: Monkfish cheeks with creamed spinach, brown shrimps and capers

Serves 4

Monkfish cheeks with creamed spinach, browned shrimps and capers (Jason Lowe)

You may need to order monkfish cheeks in advance from your fishmonger, although I have seen them in a few good places of late.

500g monkfish cheeks, trimmed
1tbsp of vegetable or corn oil
250ml double cream
A couple of handfuls of spinach leaves, washed and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
100g unsalted butter
2tbsp large capers, rinsed
60g brown shrimps

Bring the cream to the boil and simmer until reduced by one-third, then add the spinach, season and cook for a couple of minutes on a high heat, stirring as it's cooking, until tender. Blend in a food processor as coarsely or as smoothly as you like, then transfer back into the saucepan and simmer until it thickens to a spooning consistency.

Meanwhile, season the monkfish cheeks, heat the oil in a heavy or non-stick frying pan and cook the cheeks on a low to medium heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side, adding a knob of butter towards the end of cooking.

Remove the cheeks and put to one side.

Add the rest of the butter to the pan and heat until foaming, then add the capers and shrimps and remove from the heat.

To serve, spoon the spinach on to warmed plates, arrange the cheeks on top and then spoon the capers, shrimps and butter over them.