Recipe from Sushi & Susci by Moreno Cedroni
Photography – Michele Tabozzi

Ingredients for 4 portions
200 g (7 oz) monkfish cheeks
5 slices (approximately 150 g – 5 1/3 oz) toasted bread
2 cloves of garlic
1 sprig of rosemary
10 g (1/3 oz) onion, chopped
a few sprigs of basil
300 g (10 1/2 oz) peeled fresh tomatoes, finely diced
2.5 dl (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) fish stock
50 g (1 3/4 oz) green olives
1.8 dl (scant 1 cup) extra virgin olive oil
3 cl (2 tablespoons) balsamic vinegar
1 piece of nori for garnishing
salt

Preparaztion
Roughly chop the garlic and rosemary and sprinkle over the monk-fish cheeks. Sear them on all sides in a hot non-stick skillet for just a few seconds, so that they remain raw at the center. Salt to taste, remove from heat and cool quickly in a blast chiller. Thinly slice the cooled fish.
Prepare the pan cotto. Heat 5 cl (1/4 cup) of extra virgin olive oil and sauté the onion and basil. Add the diced tomatoes, fish stock and salt to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Rub the slices of toasted bread with a clove of garlic and add them to the broth. Remove from heat and reserve.

Prepare the olive pâté by processing the pitted olives with 3 cl (2 tablespoons) of extra virgin olive oil.

Prepare the balsamic vinegar sauce by emulsifying 1 dl (scant 1/2 cup) of extra virgin olive oil with the balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt until it achieves a creamy consistency.

Place 2 tablespoons of the pan cotto in the center of each plate, giving them a cylindrical form. Add a little of the olive pâté and arrange the slices of monkfish cheeks on and around the pan cotto. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar sauce and decorate with strips of nori.