Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C.
2. Prepare the monkfish - remove skin and middle bone, remove also the clear membrane (to avoid fillet from curling when cooked). Place the monkfish on a tray, add a tbsp of olive oil, a tbsp of sake, 2 tbsp of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix well and leave to marinade for 15 minutes.
3. Prepare the shellfish - remove the beards from all mussels, wash and scrub them well. Set aside in the refrigerator until required.
4. Cooking the monkfish – if you have a blow-torch, the best way to pre-cook them is to blow-torch them on all sides until lightly charred. If you don’t have a blow-torch you can sear the fillets on a very hot pan. Put half of the butter and olive oil in an ovenproof non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the monkfish and cook for 4 minutes, turning continuously, until it has a lovely golden colour all over. Transfer to the pre-heated oven and roast for 6 minutes until firm to the touch. Remove from the oven, cover with kitchen foil and keep warm.
5. Cooking the shellfish - put the remaining butter and olive oil in a heavy cast iron pan with a lid over a medium heat. When the butter is foaming, add the shallot and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and saffron, stir well, then add the mussels and gently stir all again. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes until the shellfish open discarding any unopened mussel.
6. Making the ragoût sauce - pour the unwhipped cream into the pan with the mussels and cook uncovered over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, using a slotted spoon take the shellfish out of the pan and put them into a large bowl, cover with cling film and keep warm.
7. Finishing the ragoût sauce - return the pan with the cooking liquor to a medium heat and cook for 4-5 minutes until reduced by half. Stir in the whipped cream and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the lemon zest, chives (saving a little for serving) and any juices that have collected from the monkfish. Check for seasing and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
8. Serving - slice the monkfish into 4 medallions, place them in the middle of a platter, scatter the mussels around it and spoon the ragoût sauce over the shellfish and a little over the monkfish. Sprinkle a little more chopped chives over the dish and serve immediately.
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