Our food is simple, understated, and big on flavour. No frills, just food we like to eat made with good local ingredients, and a few surprises along the way. These monkfish bites are a perfect example. They look unassuming, but they pack a punch, and they’ve been on the menu since day one. Not many dishes last that long, but our customers love them – we’ve seen some drink the sauce off the plate.

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They’re inspired by Vietnamese street food like lemongrass prawn skewers, with that classic sweet-salty-sour hit. Simple on the surface, full of flavour underneath, they pretty much sum up what we do at Muttonbird: good, fuss-free food.

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Monkfish Bites

Makes 12

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500g monkfish, chopped

1 egg

1 garlic clove

30g onion

50g lemongrass, chopped

10g salt

10g white sugar

10g fish sauce

50g neutral oil, plus more for deep-frying

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Green chilli sauce

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55g fish sauce

10g white sugar

80g lemon juice

1 green chilli

25g garlic

35g coriander

Rice flakes, for coating

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What to do

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1. Roughly chop monkfish and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.

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2. Make the green chilli sauce by combining all sauce ingredients in a blender and blitzing until smooth.

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3. Combine the egg, garlic, onion, lemongrass, salt, sugar, fish sauce and oil in a blender. Blend for 15 seconds to combine.

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4. Add chopped monkfish to the blender and blend to a smooth paste. Refrigerate until it’s firmed up a little.

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5. Roll the monkfish paste into 50g balls. Roll the balls in rice flakes to coat. Deep-fry for 3 minutes or until cooked through.

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6. To serve, pour a small puddle of green chilli sauce on a plate and arrange the monkfish bites on top.

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muttonbird

muttonbird.co.nz

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