How2Day: Alternatives to Monkfish

Monkfish trumps lobster when money's tight. Valueline/Valueline/Getty Images
Changing cuisine invites new tastes to your plate and palate while giving you opportunities to play around with favorite flavors and recipes. Cook a bit of saffron with your rice, add that extra clove of garlic or splash sherry into your latest monkfish creation. If monkfish isn't your thing; but the recipe is, substitute another firm-fleshed crustacean or whitefish for a new twist on an old dish.

Monkfish traditionally passes as "poor man's lobster." Since lobster is no longer the expensive delicacy it once was, it's the go-to substitute for any monkfish dish with its firm, white flesh and not so bottom-of-the-sea flavor. Grab a few lobster tails, steam or simmer for an entree or toss in your salad or favorite bisque. Monkfish shrinks quite a bit, so you might find lobster a better value overall since it keeps its fleshy shape.

Kosher haddock, bass or codfish substitute well for the non-kosher monkfish. Fresh or farm-harvested, these fish are plentiful, economical, and known for their mild flavor. Haddock tolerates heat well, has just 87 calories, less than one gram of fat, and still packs a whopping 18.91 grams of protein per 100 gram serving, making it an armchair chef's favorite.

Scallop medallions routinely replace monkfish in restaurant dishes. They are low in fat and calories, high in brain-boosting selenium and protein. Scallops shrink a bit when cooked, but retain their shape and texture well in most recipes. One fact to keep in mind when choosing monkfish over scallops is that monkfish fishing threatens scallop dredges in the mid-Atlantic and on the Northeast U.S. coast.

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