Monkfish steamed with ginger and lime

You can use a normal steamer for this and transfer the fish onto a plate at the end, but the Asian bamboo steamers look prettier and add a subtle fragrance to the food as well. They're inexpensive from Asian supermarkets and you'll need 6 small ones.

It's good served with pak choi with soy sauce and garlic.

Serves 6 as a main course

1kg monkfish tail fillet

6 lime leaves, shredded

a small knob of root ginger, in thin matchsticks

2 small red chillies, chopped

1 stem lemongrass, chopped into thin rounds

1 spring onion, sliced on the diagonal

a banana leaf

Remove all the skin and membrane from the fish and slice into fat rounds, about 2cm thick.

Cut six circles out of the banana leaf of about 15cm diameter. (If you don't have a banana leaf, use baking paper instead.) Line each bamboo steamer with a banana leaf circle and divide the monkfish slices among them. Scatter the other ingredients over each portion, tucking some of the aromatics inbetween the fish slices.

Bring a small amount of water to the boil in a wok and set up a steamer rack over it. Stack the steamers into three groups of two, put a lid on each and steam together for about ten minutes until the fish is tender and a good puddle of juice has collected in each banana leaf. Serve immediately, to be eaten directly out of the bamboo steamers.