La lotte toulousaine / monkfish served with walnut and garlic sauce is rather unusual. The fish is served with an aillade, a very thick sauce based on a purée of garlic, and it certainly packs a punch. To make the aillade, I blended walnuts and garlic to a paste, then added walnut oil little by little, and chopped parsley at the end. I cut the monkfish into chunks, rolled these in seasoned flour, and fried them in olive oil together with chopped shallots and garlic. I added a little fish stock and then the aillade. Served with saffron (or, in my case, turmeric) rice.

For the recipe le pain de poisson / fish terrine, I poached salmon and cod in a court bouillon, made from celery, leek, onion, seasonings, and parsley, all simmered briefly in water and white wine. I drained the fish, removed the skin and flaked it into small pieces. I added breadcrumbs which I had soaked in milk. In another bowl, I beat eggs with salt and pepper and tomato concentrate, then added this to the fish mixture along with some finely chopped onion. I poured the mixture into a buttered terrine and cooked in a bain-marie for 40 minutes. I left to cool and served with prawns and mayonnaise. This makes a great starter because it is easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time.

La lotte Catalane / monkfish Catalan style is a recipe from the southernmost part of France, once part of Spain. I softened chopped red peppers, shallots and orange in a little olive oil. I added cubes of monkfish, along with a sprinkling of capers and flaked almonds, and seasoned with salt and pepper. I added a little white wine, covered with a lid, and cooked gently for 10 minutes.

Quiche is a French tart consisting of a pastry crust filled with savoury custard and pieces of cheese, meat, seafood or vegetables. Making la quiche au salmon fumé / smoked salmon quiche couldn’t be easier. To start with, I cheated by using bought pastry. I rolled this out to line a buttered flan case. I beat eggs with cream and added chopped smoked salmon and some seasoning. I poured this mixture into the case and sprinkled grated nutmeg on top. I placed the dish into a hot oven for 15 minutes, then a further 15 minutes at a lower temperature, by which time the filling was set and the top was browned and risen. A perfect snack meal.

I cooked monkfish for the first time yesterday. Mindful that it can become rubbery and tough, I followed the instructions for la lotte à la Gasconne / monkfish as cooked in Gascony carefully. The fishmonger had already removed the skin and membrane, so all I had to do was cut the flesh into chunks and toss in seasoned flour. I fried these in a hot frying pan with butter and oil to seal all sides, along with chopped mushrooms and garlic. Then I reduced the heat and added tomato purée, white wine, a dash of Armagnac and salt and pepper. I stirred gently to blend the sauce and continued to cook for just five minutes. Monkfish has a mild, sweet, meaty texture and we could almost imagine that we were tucking into a plate of boozy lobster!

On Fridays, a fish van from Grimsby comes to our village. So, I decided to cook les noix de Saint-Jacques aux champignons / scallops fried with mushrooms. I started by frying chopped mushrooms in a little olive oil over a good flame. I sprinkled with some thyme. I seared the seasoned scallops and cooked briefly on both sides. I added the corals and finished with melted butted and chopped parsley.

We don’t often eat fish when we are in France as the Lot is a land locked department. But at our weekly supermarket shop, I was tempted again by the trout from a local farm. There are several recipes in Goose Fat & Garlic but I chose les truites farcies / stuffed trout, as I had all the ingredients to hand. For the stuffing, I fried cèpes (rehydrated), a slice of ham, and an onion, all finely chopped, in a little oil. I bound this mixture with flour and a beaten egg and put a generous couple of spoonfuls into the cavity of each trout. These were wrapped separately in oiled foil, and cooked for 30 minutes. That evening we shared one trout between two, sprinkling it with verjuice and persillade – a mixture of chopped garlic and parsley – and eating it hot from the oven. The following day we had the second fish, but this time cold from the fridge. Hot or cold, we enjoyed two excellent suppers.

In the market, on the fish stalls, I have often seen fillets of cod covered in salt crystals. I finally plucked up courage to buy a piece. It appears that they will keep almost indefinitely. After a few weeks, when the fridge was almost empty, I decided to cook le gâteau de morue / salt cod loaf. I soaked the fish for 24 hours changing the water twice. Then I poached it in fresh water till tender, leaving the kitchen smelling of the ocean. I flaked the fillet and removed the bones. I pounded this with walnut oil and garlic, then mixed with mashed potato, pepper, nutmeg and egg yolks. I whisked the egg whites and folded these in. I cooked till golden. The verdict: very strong tasting, quite light and fluffy but perhaps too salty (could have soaked for longer). In days gone by this must have been a godsend, but I was glad I didn’t serve it to new friends for lunch!