The wolffish owes its name due to its unattractive appearance with a mouth that is filled with striking teeth. That might also be the reason why you find this fish commonly filleted at the fishmonger.
If you ever have access to a whole specimen, know that the cheeks are a true delicacy and that the bones can be used to prepare a perfect stock.
What is wolffish?
The sea wolf is also known as Atlantic wolffish, ocean wolffish and devilfish. Just like the monkfish, it is one of the ugliest fish species.
The fish has teeth that resemble a wolf’s jaw. The jaw consists of four to six hanging teeth that are quite strong and conical in shape.
The wolffish is elongated in the front and has a smooth texture. The wolffish can grow up to a length of 160 cm and can weigh 25 kilograms.
Bake the wolffish
The very firm fish meat is perfect for baking or even grilling. In the southern states of America you also come across this fish under the name of catfish and it is highly popular in many Creole dishes.
In this dish we slice pieces of the wolffish fillet. We then wrap it in bacon and fry both sides for 2 minutes until the bacon turns golden brown and crispy.
We serve it with a delicious butter lemon sauce. The combination of the creaminess of the sauce, the freshness of the lemon juice and the anis like flavour of the dill forms a perfect match.
Wolffish fillet with bacon and lemon sauce
Ingredients
- 500 grams wolffish fillet
- 8 slices bacon smoked
- 150 ml butter lemon sauce with dill recipe
- 4 sprigs dill fresh
- splash sunflower oil
- black pepper freshly grounded
- salt
For the lemon sauce
- 150 ml fish stock possibly made from a stock cube
- 150 ml whipped cream
- 1.5 lemon
- 35 grams butter
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup dill fresh
- black pepper freshly grounded
- pinch salt
Instructions
Lemon sauce
- Put the whipped cream with the fish stock in a saucepan and let it reduce by half.
- Add the zest and juice of the lemon and let it evaporate a bit. Season the sauce lightly with freshly grounded pepper and a pinch of salt if desired.
- Finely chop the dill and set aside until just before serving. We finish the last steps for the sauce at the end just before serving the wolffish.
The wolffish
- Cut the wolffish fillet into 16 nice slices and season generously with freshly grounded pepper and a tiny pinch of salt.
- Cut the slices of bacon in half and roll each slice of wolffish fillet in a slice of bacon.
- Heat a small dash of sunflower oil in a non-stick pan and fry the rolled catfish fillet on the bacon for 2 minutes until crispy.
- Turn the fish and let the other side cook for another 2 minutes to ensure this site becomes crispy and golden brown too.
- Remove from the pan and arrange on a platter.
Finish the sauce
- Bring the sauce to a vigorous boil once and then immediately reduce the heat. Add the butter and the egg yolk while beating for another 1 minute. Remove from the heat and continue beating for another 2 minutes until a nice foamy sauce has formed. You can also use a hand blender if you wish.
- Complete with the dill and season with some freshly grounded black pepper if desired.
