Ankimo is a Japanese dish made with monkfish liver, and foie gras is an expensive dish made of the liver of a duck or goose. Ankimo is frequently called the “foie gras of the sea.”
 
“Monkfish roe, a Japanese ‘foie gras’ of the sea” was printed in the Toronto (ON) Star, on December 2, 1987. “Foie gras of the sea (monkfish livers, $12)” was printed in the San Francisco (CA) Chronicle on July 19, 1992. “Monkfish liver pate, the foie gras of the sea” was printed in the New York (NY) Times on October 7, 1994. “Ankimo, monkfish liver, that is more or less the foie gras of the sea” was printed in the Los Angeles (CA) Times on April 27, 1995.
 
   
Wikipedia: Ankimo
Ankimo (鮟肝) is a Japanese dish made with monkfish liver.
 
The liver is first rubbed with salt, then rinsed with sake. Then its veins are picked out and the liver is rolled into a cylinder and steamed. Ankimo is often served with momiji-oroshi (chili-tinted grated daikon), thinly sliced scallions and ponzu sauce.
 
Wikipedia: Foie gras
Foie gras (English: /ˌfwɑːˈɡrɑː/, French: [fwa ɡʁɑ]; French for “fat liver”) is considered a luxury food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been especially fattened. By French law, foie gras is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by force-feeding corn with a feeding tube, a process also known as gavage. In Spain and other countries, it is occasionally produced using natural feeding. Ducks are force-fed twice a day for 12.5 days and geese three times a day for around 17 days. Ducks are typically slaughtered at 100 days and geese at 112 days.
     
2 December 1987, Toronto (ON) Star, “On the way up Faster than a rising souffle, three Toronto chefs are zooming to culinary stardom” by David Kingsmill, pg. C1:
Field, with his curiosity and fine touch, will bring us foods we never thought we’d eat, like his salted and steamed monkfish roe, a Japanese “foie gras” of the sea.
   
19 July 1992, San Francisco (CA) Chronicle, “New Seafood Restaurant Heading for Clear Waters” by Michael Bauer, Datebook sec., pg. 18, cols. 3-4:
(Elka, 1611 Post Street in the Miyako Hotel.—ed.)
With a couple of California Seafood Challenge Championships under her belt, and with the help of Tracy Des Jardins, the sous chef from Aqua, Gilmore is dishing up whimsical, often inspired combi nations—foie gras of the sea (monkfish livers, $12), with melon and shiso relish; chilled buckwheat ($10), noodles with caviar; and sauteed snapper ($15), with fennel, celery and tomato salad.
   
7 October 1994, New York (NY) Times, “Restaurants” by Ruth Reichl, pg. C24:
(Nobu, 105 Hudson Street, at Franklin Street, TriBeCa.—ed.)
At its best, however, Nobu is anything but a low-calorie experience. If you put yourself in the chef’s hands, he is likely to bombard you with riches. This will inevitably include his monkfish liver pate, the foie gras of the sea, topped with a big scoop of caviar and served in a light soy dressing.
   
27 April 1995, Los Angeles (CA) Times, “Fish Masters” by Jonathan Gold, pg. H15, col. 3:
... cool slabs of ankimo, monkfish liver, that is more or less the foie gras of the sea.
     
22 February 1996, Los Angeles (CA) Times, “Shad Row” by Jonathan Gold, pg. H13, col. 3:
There is ankimo, the ultra-rich monkfish liver some people call the foie gras of the sea, sliced thin, fanned out on a small plate and simply dressed with a splash of citrusy ponzu.
 
Twitter
Anita/MarriedwDinner
@Marr
iedWDinner
Replying to @kalynskitchen
@kalynskitchen ankimo = “foie gras of the sea” = monkfish liver.
5:53 PM - 20 Jun 2008
     
Google Books
Mike Colameco’s Food Lover’s Guide to New York City
By Mike Colameco
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley
2009
Pg. 173:
I am a huge fan of monkfish liver, the foie gras of the sea, and here it comes just cooked, warm and medium-rare against a sauce that serves as a textural and flavor foil, made from shredded daikon radish.
 
Twitter
Stacy
@stacyisafoodie
monkfish= foie gras of the sea #bourdain
2:33 AM - 11 Aug 2009
   
Twitter
ResortsWorldSentosa
@rwsentosa
Monkfish liver pate is frequently called foie gras of the sea due to its buttery-smooth texture and decadent flavour. This one’s paired with yuzu miso vinaigrette to cut through the richness #RWSDiningArtisans
http://bit.ly/rws-syun
11:30 PM - 26 Nov 2018
 
Eater—New York
14 NYC Restaurants That Feel Like Japan
From sterling omakases to rowdy izakaya, here’s where to eat in NYC to feel transported to Japan
by Kat Odell Feb 4, 2019, 2:21pm EST
(...)
7. Sake Bar Decibel
240 E 9th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 979-2733
Follow the red “On Air” sign hanging overhead, descend one level below the street, and step into dark, cavernous, graffiti-covered Sake Bar Decibel, which feels like a direct portal into any of Golden Gai’s miniscule, unpretentious, divey bars. Since 1993, Decibel has been an industry favorite beloved for its no-frills ambiance, wide selection of 150 sakes, and late hours. It’s open until 3 a.m. every day other than Sunday for Japanese bar food like okonomiyaki (savory pancake), takowasa (octopus with wasabi), and ankimo (monkfish liver, regarded as the foie gras of the sea).