Monkfish with Mustard and Cucumber Sauce

Were there monkfish before 1975? We all know the horse took several million years to evolve, but under the influence of Messrs Troisgros, Chapel and Blanc, the lotte became established in our gastronomic consciousness in no time at all.

Before that its real claim to fame was as the Tom Keating of the piscine world, a supposed underhand catering substitute for scampi because of its knotty, dense texture. An erstwhile neighbour assured me that lobster in fancy restaurants is al