Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Cook's Guide entry for Monkfish along with all the Monkfish containing recipes presented on this site, with 28 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Monkfish recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Monkfish as a major wild food ingredient.

In the UK, the species Lophiodes caulinaris, Lophius americanus, Lophius budegassa and Lophius piscatorius are referred to as monkfish. Of which, the species Lophius piscatorius and Lophius budegassa are native to north-western Europe, with L. piscatorius being, by far, the commonest species in British waters.

L piscatorius is a member of the Anglerfish genus, Lophius of the Lophiidae (anglierfish) family. Also known as goosefish, fishing-frogs, frog-fish, and sea-devils, and are characterized by their heads which seems enormous as compared with the remainder of the body, is broad, flat and depressed. The wide mouth extends all round the anterior circumference of the head; and both jaws are armed with bands of long pointed teeth, which are inclined inwards, and can be temporarily depressed so as to offer no impediment to an object gliding towards the stomach, while still preventing its escape from the mouth. The pectoral and ventral fins are so articulated as to perform the functions of feet, the fish being enabled "walk" on the bottom of the sea, where it generally hides itself in the sand or amongst seaweed. All round its head and also along the body, the skin bears fringed appendages resembling short fronds of seaweed. These structures, combined with the ability to change the colour of the body to match its surroundings, assists the fish greatly in concealing itself in its lurking places, which are selected for their abundance of prey. The Lophius species have three long filaments sprouting from the middle of its head; these are the detached and modified three first spines of the anterior dorsal fin. As with all anglerfish species, the longest filament is the first, which terminates in an irregular growth of flesh, the esca, and is movable in all directions; this modified fin ray is used as a lure to attract other fishes, which the monkfish then seizes with its enormous jaws, devouring them whole.

It grows to a length of more than 1.5m; specimens of 1m are common. The largest recorded specimen weighed 115kg and was caught on January 7, 2012, by Frank-Rune Kopperud of Norway The previous record holder was a specimen of 99.4kg.

It is the tail meat that is consumed and this has a firm texture and a meaty taste, though the cheeks are also good eating. Indeed, in Europe and North America, the texture of the tail meat of fish of the genus Lophius, is sometimes compared to lobster tail and has been alluded to as the 'poor man's lobster', although today it commands prices equivalent to, and in some cases exceeding, lobster and other marine delicacies.