Garlic Monkfish Recipe

10 cloves unpeeled garlic
1/4 cup softened butter
several thyme sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 pounds thick (1 1/2 -2inches) monkfish fillets
9 tablespoons thyme vinegar or white wine vinegar

Parboil the garlic for 5 minutes in 1 cup of water. The skins will slip off easily. Coarsely chop the garlic. Use half the butter to coat a shallow baking dish just large enough to hold the fish in a single layer, and sprinkle with the garlic and thyme. Lay the fish on the herbs and dot with the remaining butter.

Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes, and then add 3 tablespoons of vinegar. Now bake and baste twice more until all the vinegar is used. Then bake for another 5 to 15 minutes, basting every 5 minutes, until the fish is opaque.

(Cut through the thickest part to test. Do not let the fish become flaky or it will lose its lobsterlike texture.) Strain the sauce through a sieve, using a wooden spoon to push the garlic through the screening.