Are you looking for a special meal to make at home, possibly for date night? Well, meaty monkfish, salty pancetta and a fresh herb filling make this monkfish wrapped in pancetta a great easy dish for a special meal.
If the fillets have not been removed from the tail then use a sharp knife to remove the bone from the middle of the monkfish. You'll then have 2 long fillets of monkfish, fat at one end and tapering to the other end.
Make the herb filling. Roughly chop the basil and chives, crush the garlic and put everything in a pestle and mortar with a little salt and pepper. Crush to make a paste.
Lay the slices of pancetta out, overlapping slightly. Lay one piece of monkfish in the middle. Spread the herb and garlic paste down one side of the fish. Put the other piece of monkfish on top. Lay them top to tail so the monkfish is approximately the same width at each end.
Wrap the pancetta around the fish and roll it over so the fish is wrapped in the pancetta. Heat a little oil in a frying pan. Fry briefly on all sides then put on a baking tray in the oven at about 200°c. Bake for 15 minutes.