Match of the week

Grilled monkfish with salsa verde and vermentino

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on July 27 2020 at 12:23

Monkfish is regularly referenced as a meaty fish you can pair with red wine, especially when it’s wrapped in pancetta but suppose you serve it with salsa verde instead as they did at the Seahorse al Mare pop-up in Dartmouth last week?

Suddenly it becomes all about the herbs and points you in the direction of a white wine rather than a red especially when the sides - a salad of mixed leaves, tarragon and olive oil and braised green beans with white onion and agrodolce - also have vegetal notes

It turned out that the wine we had ordered - a richly textured 2018 Audarya Vermentino di Sardegna* had herby notes of its own but it was also weighty enough to cope with the fact that the fish had been cooked over open coals.

It went less well with the more delicate course of some very delicious fresh Dartmouth crab with fennel which was better with the glass of champagne they had offered us.

But then champagne by the water - what’s not to like?

I was a guest at Seahorse al Mare which is currently taking reservations for August

You can buy the Audarya Vermentino from Sommeliers Choice for £14.50 a bottle

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