Seared Monkfish and Celery Salad with a Pernod Dressing

Monkfish is a funny dude. Not quite like any other fish in the pond. He’s ugly when he’s fully dressed, and once he’s undressed he doesn’t even look like a fish. He’s kind of rubbery if not cooked properly, and very rich. But he shines in salads, as he is wondrously boneless (at least, the bit that you generally buy to cook is). This is based on a dish I used to cook when I worked as a sous sous sous chef in a high-falootin’ fish restaurant.