MasterChef: The Professionals finalist Santosh Shah enjoyed a recent pop up in Lichfield with Sauce Supper Club. Here, he shares a delectable recipe which showcases his signature Nepalese flavours
MasterChef: The Professionals finalist Santosh Shah
Spiced Monkfish with sesame and tomato sauce
Ingredients- serves four
500g boned monkfish fillet, taken from the thick upper cut 125g plain flour For the marinade: 2 tbsp ginger paste 1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground garam masala
50g fresh coriander, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder or medium hot chilli powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
12 tbsp natural Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp Bengali Kasundi mustard paste
Salt, to taste
For the sauce:
75g sesame seeds
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp Samagrah (Whole Spice Garam Masala)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, or medium hot chilli powder
1 tsp Nepali Barha Masala (Nepali Garam Masala)
1 tsp ground turmeric
50g salted butter
3 tomatoes, diced
Salt, to taste
A handful of fresh coriander, chopped
To serve:
Pyaj Ko Achar (red onion and chilli salad)
Cut the monkfish into four equal fillets or ask your fish monger to do this. In a large bowl, combine all the
ingredients of the fish marinade and mix well. Add the monkfish fillets and delicately mix them in,
making sure they are well coated. Place in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours.
Prepare the sauce. First, dry roast the sesame seeds in a non-stick frying pan, until golden all over. Remove from the pan, set aside and leave to cool. Place in a pestle and mortar and crush to a powder. Alternatively, use a small electric spice grinder. Heat the oil in the frying pan. Add the fenugreek seedsand whole garam masala, and let them crackle. Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies and cook for a couple of minutes until soft. Add the ground spices and butter and cook for another few minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and salt, and cook until the tomatoes get soft and mushy.
Add the ground sesame seeds to the tomato mixture and immediately remove from the heat. Add the coriander and leave to cool slightly. Pour into a blender or a thermomixer and blend until very smooth. Set aside and keep warm.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan /375°F/Gas 5). Spread the flour on a plate. Remove the monkfish fillets from the marinade. Coat each fillet with flour and place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the fish is golden brown and cooked through.
To serve, spoon some of the tomato sauce onto a plate and place a monkfish fillet on top. Add a little of the salad on the side.
