Monkfish soup

UPDATE NOV 2020:

My mother-in-law read this recipe and commented: 'this recipe looks very much like cação soup'. Oh my! I translated the fish wrong!!! This recipe is lovely with monkfish but, indeed, it's originally cooked with cação which is a type of shark. Yep, that's it, shark! I don't think you can buy shark in the UK so I would advise making this recipe with monkfish as it has a texture more similar to shark than the usual fish.

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A recipe book I have never opened before: Margarida Pinto's Alentejo cuisine.

Alentejo, a region in the south of Portugal, is know for being the poorest and least populated region of the country. Inland it's plains are vast and it's coast is dotted with foreigner-free beaches. A hidden gem!

It's cuisine is very simple and very tasty. The book informs that, historically, monkfish was a cheap fish so it was widely used in the region. I like monkfish's texture and taste. 

The soup tastes as it should but I am not sure about the use of flour and paprika in this recipe... not convinced it adds anything to it.

Serves: 2 persons.

Ingredients:

• 1 monkfish
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch coriander, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 500ml water
• splash of vinegar
• 1 tbsp flour (do not add this for gluten-free)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp paprika
• salt to taste
• slices of bread

Method:

1. Clean and slice the monkfish.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Fry the garlic and the coriander in the olive oil.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Add the water, salt and fish and let it cook for about 20 min. I added more coriander at this stage as I had used too little. In total, it should be about a bunch.
   
   
   
4. Mix the vinegar to the flour and paprika until dissolved.
   
   
   
5. Add this mixture to the pan and let it cook for 5 min.
   
   
   
6. Put the bread on the bottom of soup plates and layer the fish on top. Fill the plate with the water of the cooking of the fish, as much as wished.