Monkfish is often described as resembling lobster, both in its flavor and in its texture, but in this very simple treatment, outlined by Mark Bittman a while back, which I tried for the first time last week, the resemblance was closer to a juicy cut of veal.  I’m not sure how I feel about that, but I’m likely to use the recipe again, perhaps switching to a paprika dulce instead of the picante I used this time.

• monkfish fillet from Blue Moon Fish, coated with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and pimenton, brushed with dijon mustard, placed in an enameled cast iron pan which had been brushed with olive oil and heated on top of the stove, placed in a 475º oven for about 15 minutes (the time would of course vary with the size of the fillets)
• young broccoli rabe (aka rapi, broccoli raab, cime di rapa, rapini; friarielli, broccoli di rapa, or broccoletti) from Keith’s Farm, wilted along with garlic halves, from Berried Treasures, which had been left to sweat in olive oil, then seasoned with salt, and pepper
• Maine cherry tomatoes of Backyard Farms, from Whole Foods, slow roasted with halves of garlic, olive oil, and dried wild Italian oregano
• the wine was a German white, a Mosel, Später-Veit Pinot Blanc Trocken 2012 (piesport)

This one spoke Spanish, but I was told by the fishmonger that I might expect to find him offering the kind that drops its r’s some time in the near future.

• Spanish mackerel from Pura Vida Fisheries, fried, removed from the pan, some butter then melted in the same pan, a large amount of sorrel from Campo Rosso Farm added when the butter was frothing, and the herb wilted and the pan removed from the heat, cooled a bit, the yoke of one egg from Norwich Meadows Farm beaten into the mixture which was then finished with salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of double cream
• small Gold Nugget potatoes from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm, boiled, then finished with salt, pepper, butter, and chopped lovage from Two Guys from Woodbridge
• the wine was a Spanish white, DAC branco Dão 2012

I took advantage of the fact that weather lately has been cooler than normal, so this entrée looks very much like winter, or at least like the more mature weeks of autumn, but I’m still expecting some more mild evenings, and meals which will reflect the gentler side of the season.

• duck breast (Pat laFrieda, from Eataly), brushed with salt, pepper, and a bit of sugar, allowed to rest for at least a half hour before being pan-fried, finished with a squeeze of lemon, some chopped rosemary from Queens County Farm, and a dribble of olive oil
• white beets from Norwich Meadows Farm, braised with butter and chopped red onion, finished with mint from Phillips Farm
• Brussels sprouts from S.S. & O. Farm, tossed with salt, pepper, and some olive oil, then roasted in a 400º oven for twenty minutes or so
• the wine was a luscious Bordeaux, Chateau d’Arcins Haut-Medoc Cru Bourgeois 2012 from Astor wines

We’re up the Hudson this week, many miles from our home, and even further from the natural home of these dazzling Boston mackerel.  I’m very very fond of mackerel, but I’m not really cooking while we are away. That doesn’t mean however that I can’t look. The fillets pictured above were being offered by Pura Vida Fisheries when we visited the completely  charming Cold Spring Farmers’ Market in the crisp air of this first day of November.   They showed themselves magnificent in soft sunlight under tall trees on the beautiful grounds of Boscobel.  If I couldn’t take them home myself, I thought, I could at least broadcast their beauty.

I hope the dainty morsels were appreciated by a proper shopper.

It wasn’t only the fish that were performing in the Hudson Valley this afternoon.  The fish seller also had a container of other, larger and only slightly-less spectacular mackerel fillets. When I asked about their identity, he explained, “That one speaks Spanish, and this one speaks English”.