Whole Roasted Monkfish

My West Coast friends tell me that there is usually a monkfish still in possession of its head at Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market. The fishmonger attaches a string to it so he can open and close its mouth when anyone, especially children, approach. It never fails to elicit a shriek or two.

Most monkfish is sold without its scary head. Once skinned, the body is shaped like a long isosceles triangle. To the French, this shape recalls a lamb leg, so this monkfish cut is often called