Monkfish saffron broth recipe: Kevin Dundon's autumn pot

Monkfish holds its shape in a saffron broth better than almost any other white fish, which is why Irish chef Kevin Dundon builds this autumn pot straight around it, with no need for a bisque base.

Dundon runs Dunbrody House in County Wexford and publishes recipes like this one through his online cookery school, built for the vegetables that pile up once the clocks go back: oyster mushrooms, courgette, waxy potatoes, cherry tomatoes still on the vine.

The saffron broth is what carries the dish. A small pinch dissolved in warm stock does more work than any stock cube, colouring the saffron gold and giving it a dry, faintly bitter edge that balances the sweetness of the courgette and tomatoes.

Saffron in warm stock does more work than any stock cube ever will.

Ingredients

• 500g monkfish tail, trimmed and cut into chunks
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, diced
• 100g oyster mushrooms, torn
• 100ml dry white wine
• 700ml fish or vegetable stock
• 1 courgette, diced
• 150g waxy potatoes, cooked and sliced
• 100g cherry tomatoes, halved
• A generous pinch of saffron threads
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• Sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and carrot and cook gently for 2-3 minutes; this builds a sweet base before anything stronger goes in.
2. Add the oyster mushrooms and cook for a further minute, then pour in the wine and let it bubble for a few seconds so the alcohol burns off. Add the stock and saffron to build the saffron broth, and simmer for 5 minutes, long enough for it to take on colour and scent.
3. Slide in the monkfish, potatoes, courgette and cherry tomatoes. Monkfish is dense and holds together well, so whole chunks go in rather than small pieces that would overcook.
4. Simmer gently for 6-8 minutes, until the fish turns opaque and firm to the touch. A hard boil toughens monkfish quickly, so keep the heat low and patient.
5. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the lime zest and juice; the acidity lifts the saffron and stops the broth tasting flat. Season with salt and pepper and serve piping hot.

More ways with this saffron broth

Swap in hake or cod loin if monkfish is hard to find, or landings are tight that week; both hold together well enough for this gentler style of cooking. Crusty sourdough does more for the broth than rice or pasta would.

Pour a dry, mineral white alongside: a Muscadet or an unoaked Irish chardonnay both cut through the saffron without fighting it.

Can the monkfish go in frozen? No; thaw it fully and pat it dry first, or it cools the broth and cooks unevenly.