This classic lobster thermidor sauce is perfect with any fish, but this recipe uses monkfish, also known as poor man's lobster, at a fraction of the cost but still with great taste.
The 'lobster' is piled into dishes and smothered with a delicious white wine, cream and shallot thermidor sauce. Then, it's topped with Parmesan and baked under the grill until it's golden and bubbling.
Perfect for Christmas eve as a starter or main course, fish Friday and entertaining too!
And the best bit? It's ready in just 20 minutes and uses just one pan. Perfect for an easy clean up
Bon appétit!
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This is a term that is often given to monkfish, although sometimes it can refer to any firm white fish, such as cod, haddock, pollack, hake or coley.
Although it is a fish with a central backbone and not a shellfish like lobster, it doesn't have any fiddly bones. It's really simple to bone the fish in only a minute.
The flesh is quite meaty, with a consistency very much like lobster or prawns. The great thing is that it doesn't flake, but holds its shape.
The term refers to French word relating to heat and also the 11th month of the year in the French revolutionary calendar. However, some sources believe that the dish is named in honour of a play called Thermidor or that it was named by Napolean.
The dish itself is comprised of cooked lobster which is chopped and returned to its shell, covered in a creamy sauce and grilled with cheese.
This fish is delicious stuffed with lemon, wrapped in bacon and baked in the oven or quickly fried with chorizo and rosemary
It's also perfect for kebabs, as the meat doesn't fall apart, in fish pies and curries.
Monkfish is found all around the British Isles all year long and varieties are also found all over the world with different names, such as:
- stargazer fish - Australia
- angler fish -US
- goosefish
- lotte - France
- fishing frog
- molligut
- abbot
- sea-devil
Although lobster is delicious, there isn't very much meat on it so I prefer this fish to lobster. One monkfish tail will feed 4 people too, with much less preparation.
❤️ Why you will love this dish
- Easy to prepare - there's just one bone to remove.
- Cheaper - approximate cost for lobster is £38 per kilogram and £21 for monkfish.
- Mild, sweet taste that is not overly fishy.
- Holds its shape when cooking.
- Low in fat and full of protein.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Monkfish- one monkfish tail will feed 4 people.
- Cheese - traditionally Swiss Gruyère was used in this French dish but I love the taste of Parmesan instead.
- Butter - salted or unsalted but you will need to adjust the seasoning if using salted butter.
- Shallots - the longer banana shallots are easier to peel. Chop them finely
- Fish stock - from concentrate or a carton.
- White wine - use a dry white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc or Muscadet.
- Cream - double or heavy cream.
- Mustard - French Dijon mustard,not yellow or brown French mustard.
- Parsley - fresh chopped flat leaf parsley.
The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.
🍽 Equipment
- Frying pan or skillet
- Measuring jug
- Wooden spoon
🔪 Instructions
Start by preparing the monkfish. It's simple to do it yourself.
Remove any skin and membranes then slice off any fins.
Place the fish on a board and use a sharp knife to cut down either side of the backbone.
Chop the fish into bite sized chunks to mimic the chopped cooked lobster that is covered in the thermidor sauce.
💭 Top tip
- Put the backbone in a bag in the freezer, then add to it when you have fish or shellfish. When the bag is full it's easy to make your own fish stock or seafood bisque.
Heat some butter in a frying pan and add the fish pieces.
Cook over a medium heat for about 3 minutes until the fish is just opaque.
Divide the fish between four dishes while you make the sauce.
Heat the remaining butter and add the chopped shallots.
Cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until they are softened.
Pour in the stock, wine and cream then bring to a simmer.
Let the sauce gently bubble and reduce by half.
Stir in the mustard, half of the cheese and parsley.
Check the seasoning and add pepper and salt to taste.
Divide the thermidor sauce between the dishes and sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
⏲️ Grilling time
Preheat the grill to medium and grill for about 4 minutes until the top is golden and crusty.
🥗 Side dishes
I served this with peas and thrice cooked chips but you could try some of these side dishes.
- Samphire
- Honey Glazed Carrots with Mustard
- French Peas
- Potatoes Parisienne
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Potatoes Rissolé
- Minted Mushy Peas
- Potatoes Boulangère
- Roast Savoy Cabbage
- Green Beans Almondine
- Potatoes Aligot - cheesy mashed potatoes
- Celeriac Purée
🥙 Substitutions
- Shallots - use normal brown or white onion instead or chopped spring onions.
- Wine - leave the wine out and use extra stock if you prefer. Adding a tablespoon of white wine vinegar works well too.
📖 Variations
- Fish - use any white fish such as cod, haddock, hake or pollock, or shellfish including prawns, scallops and mussels. This is a great way of making a starter with a bag of frozen mixed seafood. If you have ready cooked fish then make the sauce in advance and gently reheat before grilling.
- Herbs - rather than parsley use tarragon, basil and dill, which are all delicious with fish.
🍣 Storage
🍱 Prepare in Advance
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More seafood recipes to try
📋 Recipe
Poor Man's Lobster with Thermidor Sauce
Equipment
- Frying pan or skillet
- Measuring jug
- wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 kg monkfish
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 2 shallots chopped
- 400 ml fish stock
- 100 ml dry white wine
- 200 ml double cream heavy
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoon parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 50 g Parmesan grated
Instructions
- Place the fish on a board and use a sharp knife to cut down either side of the backbone to form 2 fillets, then chop the fish into bite sized chunks.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a frying pan and add the fish pieces. Cook over a medium heat for about 3 minutes until the fish is just opaque.
- Divide the fish between four ovenproof dishes.
- Heat the remaining butter then add the chopped shallots and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until they are softened.
- Pour in the stock, wine and cream then bring to a simmer.
- Let the sauce gently bubble and reduce by half.
- Stir in the mustard, half of the cheese and parsley.
- Check the seasoning then add pepper and salt to taste.
- Divide the thermidor sauce between the dishes and sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
- Preheat the grill to medium and grill for about 4 minutes until the top is golden and crusty.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended'
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.
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Amanda
That sounds absolutely delicious and a great idea! Thanks, Amanda
Sue
Delicious.
I made this as a starter with fresh picked white Guernsey crabmeat.
Easy.
Royston Walters
Fantastic, thank you so much. I'll be doing this recipe for our next dinner party.
Aimee Mars
Made this for my husband and not a bite was left! So good!
Nancy
Learnt something new. Didn’t know they monkfish was considered “lobster”
Dannii
We are always looking for money saving recipes and this was perfect. The sauce was incredible.
Andrea
I've never had monkfish but I'm ready to try it. Especially smothered in a white, wine, cream and cheese sauce. Delish!
Kim
Delicious! The sauce is amazing and the monkfish really does taste so much like lobster!
Amanda
Hi Stew, So glad you liked the sauce. It really does lift any fish dish and make it more luxurious! Thanks so much, Amanda
Stew
Never had a thermidor sauce in or on anything before, I had some cod in my freezer so I used it. Was pleasantly surprised by the flavor! My wife liked the sauce and the fish, so this one is a keeper! Thank you for posting! Going to make some rice tomorrow and have leftovers on the rice. After a night in the fridge, the flavores should meld and this should be really good again. Cheers!
Amanda
That's brilliant news! I really appreciate you letting me know as it's helpful to other readers too. Thanks very much, Amanda
Glyn Rowland
Great, easy recipe, I have done it with Stargazer and King Prawns and also Hake and King Prawns, worked really well both times, thank you
Sara Welch
This was such a unique and unexpected dish; so hearty and delicious! Easily, a new favorite recipe; my whole family loved it!
Jessie
That sauce sounds like the perfect addition to this dish!
Natalie
What a interesting dish. I think I never tried this before. But I will definitely save the recipe for Christmas. Looks very delicious.
Jyoti Behrani
I love fish and this recipe sounds incredible! Definitely trying this soon. Thanks for such an amazing share!
Michelle
I'm allergic to lobster so I usually avoid it, but I love this idea of making it with monkfish! Really excited to give it a try!
Pam
This recipe includes all my favorite flavors, so I'm absolutely certain I will love it.
veenaazmanov
Fish sounds yummy. Would love to try this amazing recipe. Sounds like a festive dish.
Lauren Michael Harris
What a great idea to use monkfish as a stand in for lobster. I don't care for lobster, but this recipe is definitely my kinda food!
Gina
I'd never heard of monkfish referred to this way but it definitely makes sense. Similar texture and still a wonderfully delicious dish!