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Serves 4
Vegetarian
4 heads of Bibb lettuce
6 tbsp chopped mixed
fresh herbs
2 shallots 8 radishes
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
5 tbsp rapeseed oil
Salt and black pepper
A simple salad, ideal with grilled chicken or fish. If you can’t get Bibb lettuce, use Little Gem instead; and feel free to replace the rapeseed oil with a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil.
Cut away the base section from each lettuce and place the leaves in a large bowl. Add all the herbs to the bowl and mix well together. Peel and thinly slice the shallots, slice the radishes and layer both with the salad leaves onto plates.
In a separate bowl, mix together the mustard and vinegar and slowly add the rapeseed or olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper, drizzle the dressing over the salad leaves and serve.
Montgomery cheese balls with rosemary (#ulink_af521a30-c6ed-5a8b-9f1f-be49437f2438)
Serves 4
Vegetarian
450ml (16fl oz) milk
125g (4½oz) Montgomery’s Cheddar or any good-quality, mature Cheddar cheese
20g (¾oz) butter, plus extra for greasing
150g (5oz) plain flour
2 whole eggs, beaten
6 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
300g (11oz) dried breadcrumbs, such as Japanese panko
1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Salt and black pepper
These are excellent as canapés, as a starter or, in larger quantities, as a vegetarian main course. Serve simply with salad, such as the Bibb Lettuce Salad with Radishes (see page 13).
Gently warm the milk in a small saucepan over a low heat – do not let it boil. Grate the cheese into a bowl and set aside.
Place the butter, flour, beaten eggs and the six yolks in a large saucepan, add the grated cheese and set over a low heat. Gradually add the warm milk, stirring continuously with a whisk to prevent lumps. Once all of the milk has been added, keep stirring until the mixture begins to thicken.
When the mixture starts to come away from the sides of the pan, season with salt and pepper and pour out on to a greased baking tray to cool. Once cool, mould the mixture into balls each about the size of a golf ball and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
Beat the egg whites in a bowl and mix the rosemary and breadcrumbs in another bowl. Dip the cheese balls first into the egg white, then the rosemary breadcrumbs and either cook straight away or return to the fridge and cook later.
If using a deep-fat fryer, heat the vegetable oil to 190°C (375°F). Alternatively, fill a deep, heavy-based frying pan to a depth of 2cm (¾in) with oil and use a sugar thermometer to check that it has reached the correct temperature.
Remove the balls from the fridge and lower into the fryer or pan. Cook for 4–5 minutes until golden brown, then carefully lift out with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and serve.
Seared sea bass with blood orange and spring onion salad (#ulink_1b5db97b-3f39-595d-b896-4dcae78e4ac5)
Serves 4
4 blood oranges
1 bunch of spring onions, cut into 2.5cm (1in) lengths
200g (7oz) mixed salad leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
4 × 125g (4½oz) sea bass fillets, all bones removed
1 bunch of basil, leaves only
Salt and black pepper
For the dressing
25ml (1fl oz) white wine vinegar
Pinch of caster sugar
110ml (4fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil
Farmed sea bass has become widely available in recent years, but if you can get hold of line-caught bass it’s definitely worth the extra cost. Blood oranges are a beautiful deep red colour and have a much more distinctive flavour than regular oranges (although you could use these as an alternative). They go well in savoury dishes and salads.
Peel three of the oranges and break the segments into a large bowl along with the spring onions. Season with salt and pepper, then add the salad leaves and toss together. Set aside.
To make the dressing, squeeze the juice from the remaining orange into 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 (#ulink_1d54229f-ed21-5442-a7a9-b85c4f033961)
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 (#ulink_3ca111b4-cc66-5a5c-8036-5de8c345e021)
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 (#ulink_14fa913f-8f2a-5125-bb79-0322674c0f1a)
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
1 bunch of chives
½ bunch of thyme
50ml (2fl oz) olive oil
This recipe was inspired by a trip to France, where I visited a great market right on the seafront. The fishing boats were moored up alongside the market stalls, which were laden with fresh fish – in particular, mackerel, which is unbeatable when eaten fresh and cooked simply. I was also impressed by the crisp, vibrant radishes on sale. Here I’ve found a way to combine the two.
Place the onions and 110ml (4fl oz) water in a large non-stick saucepan. Bring to the boil and allow to cook for 5 minutes, or until tender, then add the radishes and cook for a further 2–3 minutes.
