Monkfish with Leeks and a Saffron Sauce

Peel and finely chop the shallots, put in a thick bottomed saucepan along with a tablespoonful of olive oil, and soften but not brown for five minutes or so. Add a glass of white wine and reduce. Take off the heat, add the single cream and crème fraîche, and season with salt and pepper. Grind up a few strands of saffron in a pestle and mortar and stir into the sauce.

Wash the monkfish under the tap, remove any outer sinew, cut both sides off the central bone and cut into one centimetre medaillons on the bias  Picture  . Season with lemon juice and salt and fresh black pepper.

Top and tail the leeks, peel off the outer layer, cut into thinish slices, and put into a thick bottomed pan. Season with salt and fresh black pepper and stir in a couple of tablespoonfuls of olive oil.

Put the leeks on a medium heat and cook for eight minutes or so until only just soft. Put a little olve oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the monkfish medaillons and quickly cook on both sides until just cooked. Rewarm the saffron sauce.

Put a some leeks on to serving plates, put the monkfish pieces on top followed by a little sauce, and serve  Zoom  .