I had never even thought of eating such a thing until I saw this on the Farm-Direct site. I was intrigued, but concerned that it might taste like cod liver oil! I don’t actually enjoy liver unless it’s foie gras (yes, yes, I know!) but when I started to research this I saw it being described as the ‘foie gras of the sea’ so I decided to jump in and get my feet wet. If you’ve ever had hot, searede scalope of foie gras you will find the same velvety, lightly wobbly texture here. The livers are incredibly rich and you’ll probably only eat a fairly small amount in one go – I would recommend this as something to serve as canapés if you have people round rather than as a meal per se. When raw, there is no fish odour at all, but once cooked there is a definite taste of the sea – but nothing like cod liver oil, I am glad to report! If I could liken the taste and texture to anything familiar it would be the corals of scallops, only more creamy. Oh, and not only is this liver guilt-free compared to my naughty favourite, it an awful lot cheaper too!
300g monkfish liver
25ml sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
25ml sweet white wine (such as Sauternes or Muscat)
2 tbsp plain flour
Have a good look at the liver and cut away any obvious tubing with kitchen scissors. Rub it with the garlic and dust it in the flour. Sprinkle over a pinch of salt.
Heat the dry frying pan over a moderate heat. Put the liver in and lower the heat, cooking it gently for ten minutes before turning it over for another ten.
Take it out of the pan with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Off the heat, deglaze your pan with the vinegar, and stir well. Add the olive oil, wine and thyme.
Pour this sauce over the warm liver and cut it into slices to be served on toasted brioche or rye bread. A further glass of sweet white wine to accompany goes very well indeed!
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