another bowl and mix with the vinegar and sugar. Whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil until fully incorporated. Drizzle a little of the dressing over the prepared salad and toss together to coat.
Pour the olive oil into a non-stick frying pan set over a high heat. Place the sea bass fillets in the pan, skin side down, and sear for 3–4 minutes or until the sides of the fish start to brown. Turn over, cook for 1 more minute, add half the basil and remove from the heat, keeping the fish in the pan to allow them to carry on cooking in the residual heat. Set aside.
Divide the salad between plates, then lift the sea bass fillets from the pan and place on top of the salad. Scatter with the remaining basil, drizzle over the rest of the dressing and serve.
Dill-marinated salmon with lime and rhubarb salad
Serves 4
2 sticks of rhubarb, any leaves removed
25g (1oz) pickled ginger, finely chopped, and juice
Zest and juice of 1 lime
50ml (2fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil
15g (½oz) chives, chopped
2 × 250g packets of dill-marinated salmon or smoked salmon
Salt and black pepper
1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
Crusty bread, to serve
My chef, Chris, came up with this idea while experimenting in the kitchen. I liked the combination of these ingredients so much that I put it on the menu at my bistro. If you can’t find dill-marinated salmon, just use regular smoked salmon instead.
Thinly slice the rhubarb lengthways and cut into very fine sticks, the size of matchsticks. Place in a bowl of iced water and leave for 20 minutes.
Place the pickled ginger and juice in a bowl, add the lime zest and juice along with the olive oil, then season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Remove the rhubarb from the iced water, mix into the bowl with the dressing and stir in the chives. Slice up the salmon and arrange on a board or platter, or divide between plates. Serve with the rhubarb salad, some lemon wedges to squeeze over the salmon, and chunks of crusty bread on the side.
Grilled halibut with champ and lemon caper butter
Serves 4
500g (1lb 2oz) floury potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
110ml (4fl oz) milk
50g (2oz) butter
150g (5oz) spring onions, chopped
4 × 150g (5oz) halibut fillets, all bones removed
1 tbsp olive oil
110g (4oz) caper berries or capers
Peeled segments of 4 lemons, plus the juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and black pepper
Halibut is a meaty fish, full of flavour and with very few bones. If you can’t get caper berries, use small capers (caper buds) instead, but if they’re in salt or brine, rinse well in hot water before using.
Put the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water and add a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and cook for 20–25 minutes, then drain the potatoes and return to the pan, which should no longer be over the heat.
Pour the milk into a small saucepan and heat until nearly boiling. Crush the potatoes with a fork or potato masher until they form a chunky mash, then slowly add the hot milk, stirring all the time.
Melt half the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, tip in the spring onions and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add these to the mash, then season well with salt and pepper and set aside.
Season the halibut with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Place in a non-stick frying pan over a high heat and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side, or until the fish starts to turn golden-brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Add the remaining butter to a medium-sized saucepan set over a high heat. When it has turned nut brown in colour, add the caper berries and the juice of one lemon. Season, then remove from the heat and add the lemon segments and parsley.
Place some champ on each plate with a piece of halibut at the side. Spoon the lemon caper butter over the top and serve.
Mackerel with caramelised radishes
Serves 4
16 baby white onions, peeled and left whole
16 radishes
1 tbsp runny honey
2 tsp cumin seeds
4 mackerel, gutted and washed
2 banana shallots, peeled and sliced
2 lemons, sliced
1 bunch of coriander
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