Monkfish Risotto in the Steam Oven
Risotto baked in the steam oven — no stirring. Firm monkfish laid on top to finish so it stays tender; parmesan and butter beaten in at the end for creaminess, lemon and herbs stirred through. One dish, about 40 minutes mostly hands-off, for 5 adults.
One Pyrex dish in the steam oven · ~40 min (mostly hands-off) · serves 5 adults Lotte (monkfish / Seeteufel) — firm and meaty, holds in clean pieces. Risotto baked in the steam oven, no stirring; the fish is laid on top to finish so it stays tender. Parmesan + butter beaten in at the end for creaminess, lemon and herbs stirred through. No onion/garlic — leek carries the base.
Ingredients
- 700 g monkfish (lotte) fillet, grey membrane removed, cut into ~3 cm medallions
- 600 g risotto rice (arborio or carnaroli) (risotto rice swells more — not the 800 g long-grain rule)
- 1 large leek, finely sliced
- ½ medium zucchini, grated (hidden)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ~2 L stock (fish or vegetable, homemade or additive-free), brought to the boil — keep a little extra hot
- 1 lemon, zested + a squeeze of juice
- 45 g butter (beaten in at the end)
- 75 g parmesan, grated fresh from the block
- small bunch parsley, chopped
- small bunch chives, snipped
- salt + pepper (added late)
- 1 head broccoli + 3 carrots (plain steamed side)
Method — by station
Everything happens in one wide Pyrex glass baking dish in the steam oven. The hob is used only to boil the stock. The monkfish joins on top for the last stretch — it toughens if it browns or overcooks, so it never sees the toast phase.
🔥 In the steam oven — toast phase (~10 min)
Steam oven — no preheat needed; set it going from cold.
- Combigaren + Heißluft, 200 °C, 10 % humidity. Toss the rice, leek and olive oil together in the Pyrex dish; spread evenly. In for ~10 min, stirring once halfway, until the grains look glassy at the edges. (Glass browns more gently than metal — no colour needed, just glassy grains.)
🍳 On the hob — just the stock (while the toast phase runs)
- High heat: bring the stock to a rolling boil in a saucepan. It must go in hot or the steam phase stalls.
🔥 In the steam oven — steam phase (~25 min)
- Stir the grated zucchini into the rice, then pour the boiling stock over and level the surface. (Pyrex: pour the hot stock onto the hot dish only — never onto cold glass.)
- Switch to Dampf, 100 °C, 100 % humidity, and steam ~25 min total.
- With ~13 min left, season the monkfish with pepper only and lay the medallions on top of the rice, not touching. Slide the broccoli and carrots onto a perforated tray alongside to steam plain at the same time.
- Grain check at 22 min: bite a grain from the centre. Chalky core → give it 3–5 min more with a splash of extra hot stock if it looks dry. Thick monkfish pieces (over ~3.5 cm) may want the same extra minutes — it should be opaque and firm-tender all through, never squeezed-dry.
🥣 To finish (off the heat)
- Lift the monkfish off, rest the rice 2 min.
- Lift out the baby’s portion now — rice, fish and veg, unsalted, no parmesan, fish checked boneless and cut small.
- Beat the butter, parmesan, lemon zest and a squeeze of juice into the rice until glossy and creamy; loosen with hot stock if it tightens. Fold in the parsley and chives.
🍱 To assemble
- Plate the children’s portions before salt. Salt the rest to taste, spoon into containers, set the monkfish back on top with the steamed broccoli and carrots alongside.
Notes
- Membrane matters: ask the fishmonger to strip the grey membrane, or peel it off yourself — left on, monkfish curls and turns chewy. This is the one prep step that makes or breaks the texture.
- Risotto rice ≠ long-grain: it swells far more, so ~600 g feeds five here — still well under the 800 g used for the herbed long-grain rice dish.
- Reheat in the steam oven, lid off: Dampf 100 °C, 100 % humidity, ~10–12 min, with a splash of water or stock to loosen the rice. Best within 2 days — fish is best eaten sooner rather than later.
- No fish stock on hand? Vegetable stock works fine and keeps it kid-friendly.