Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 sea bass, weighing about 1.25kg, scaled and gutted
• A few sprigs of rosemary
• 1 small dried chilli
• 6 whole cloves of garlic, skin left on
• Sea salt
• 50ml olive oil
• 1/2 a wineglass of dry white wine
• 1 lemon

Method

Pre heat the oven to 200.

Put a piece of turkey-size tinfoil, about 70-80cm long on to a work surface and cover with a layer of parchment paper. Fold over each edge so that the foil and parchment are secured together at the edges. Put a couple of sprigs of rosemary in the belly cavity of the fish and a couple in the centre of the parchment. Lay the fish on the parchment and crumble the chilli over the top.

Lightly crush the garlic cloves by putting the flat side of a knife on top and giving it a thump with your hand, then put them on and around the fish. Sprinkle with sea salt. Lift up the edges of the foil to keep everything in and add the olive oil and wine. Now encase the fish in the foil - it should be in a loose bag but sealed tightly, enabling it to steam. Place it on a roasting tray and bake in a hot oven for 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and carefully undo the bag, folding back the sides to make the fish easy to get at. Squeeze a little lemon over the top and give everyone a plate so they can help themselves.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 12 rock salmon steaks about 8 cm long
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp anchovy paste
• 1 glass dry white wine
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Sea salt and black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 170c. Mix together the garlic and parsley. Put some olive into a casserole dish large enough to take all of the pieces of fish standing upright and gently sweat the shallot until golden.

Add the tomatoes, tomato puree and anchovy paste and cook for a further minute.

Add the wine and boil for a few minutes to take the alcohol off the wine, then add half the garlic and parsley.

Add the fish steaks to the pan and put the lid on the dish. Transfer to the hot oven for 40 minutes. Check after 20 minutes and if it needs more liquid add a small glass of water.

Remove from the oven and put 3 pieces of fish on each plate. Put the casserole back on a medium heat and add the lemon zest and remaining parsley and garlic to the juices in the plan. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, season with salt and pepper and spoon the juices over the fish.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• A pinch of saffron
• A small handful of fresh tarragon, finely chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 handfuls of cooked tagliatelle
• A handful of rocket leaves
• 500g mussels
• Good olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tomato, roughly chopped
• A splash of dry white wine

Method

Wash the mussels gently in cold water and remove the 'beards' by giving them a gentle tug. Pour a little olive oil into a heavy-based pan with a tight-fitting lid. If you don't have a lid, use a chopping board or a plate, just so long as the pan can be covered.

Add the garlic and tomato and seat gently for 2-3 minutes until just softened. Add the wine, boil for a minute to take off some of the alcohol, then add the mussels. Cover the pan, turn the heat up slightly and wait for the mussels to steam open - this will take about 3-4 minutes.

Remove the mussels from the pan, discarding any that have not opened, then add the saffron and a tablespoon more olive oil to the juices and simmer gently. You will see the saffron turning the juices a rich golden yellow.

Remove half the mussels from their shells and add to the juices, then add the remaining unshelled mussels and the tarragon. Add the rocket and allow it to wilt. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Add the tagliatelle to the pan and toss it all together until the pasta is just warmed through.

Serves 2 as a light lunch or 4 as a starter

Ingredients

• 1 fat juicy kipper
• A tablespoon of capers
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• A tablespoon of parsley
• A tablespoon of gherkins, finely chopped
• A teaspoon of horseradish
• Black pepper
• A handful of watercress
• Lemon juice
• 4 slices of ciabatta, lightly grilled

Method

Put the kipper in a roasting dish, cover with boiling water and allow to poach for 5-6 minutes.

Remove the flesh from the bone and mix with the capers, onion, parsley, gherkins and horseradish. Season with black pepper.

Put some watercress on top of the ciabatta slices, and then put a tablespoon of the mixture on top. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and serve.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• A small glass dry white wine
• 200g mussels in their shells
• 200g clams in their shells
• 75ml good olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 6 raw prawns, peeled
• 6 langoustines, blanched and then peeled
• 100g monkfish fillet, sliced
• 2 scallops, sliced
• 3 tomatoes, skinned
• Small handful of parsley
• Pinch of sea salt
• Enough cooked spaghetti for two (let your appetite dictate, but I reckon on 75g per person)

Method

Put the wine in a pan and bring to the boil, add the mussels and clams and cover. When they have all opened remove from the heat (discard any that have not opened) and leave to cool slightly.

When cool enough to handle remove the meat from the shells and reserve the cooking liquid. In a large frying or roasting pan, heat the olive oil gently and add the garlic and allow to colour.

Add the peeled raw prawns, langoustines, scallops and monkfish and fry gently for 3-4 minutes.

Add the meat from the clams and mussels, and then squeeze in the tomatoes so that some of the juice mixes into the oil. Add the parsley, a few tablespoons of the reserved cooking liquid and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the spaghetti to the pan and toss it around to warm through quickly and serve.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 200ml tomato passata
• 1 fresh tomato, roughly chopped
• 1 mild fresh red chilli, finely chopped
• Vegetable oil
• 4 x 165g cod, or hake, or monkfish, steaks
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 200g ready-prepared potato gnocchi
• A handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• Lemon juice

Method

First make the tomato sauce. Gently fry the onions and garlic in a few tablespoons of olive oil for about 20 minutes until lightly golden and melted. Add the red wine and allow to boil until almost nothing is left, then do the same with the balsamic vinegar. Add the passata, tomato and chilli, then add a little water and continue to cook until the tomato is melted and you have a rich sauce.

Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan suitable for the oven. Sprinkle the cod with sea salt and fry until golden on the flesh side. Then place the whole pan in the roasting oven for 4-5 minutes to finish the cooking.

Cook the gnocchi in plenty of boiling salted water until they float to the surface. Drain them, then sit them into the sauce. Add some chopped parsley and some lemon juice. Remove the cod from the oven.

Place a few tablespoons of the gnocchi and sauce in each bowl. Peel the skin off the cod, then sit it on top and sprinkle over some sea salt and some lemon juice.

Serves 4

This a very good way of turning monkfish into a truly celebratory meal giving the star spot at the occasion. The firm meat of the monkfish allows it to take on the flavours of anchovy and rosemary so well, crispy roast potatoes are a must and a well made salsa verde would be a good 'gravy'.

Ingredients

• 1 monkfish tail, weighing about 1.2-1.4kg (ask your fishmonger to skin it, fillet it and remove the membranes from the fillets)
• 4 salted anchovies
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• A few sprigs of rosemary
• Some butcher's string
• Salt and pepper

For the potatoes:

• Enough potatoes for 4, peeled and cut into 20mm cubes
• A few sprigs of rosemary
• Some flour
• Sea salt
• About 15 whole cloves of garlic, roasted in their skins with salt and olive oil for about 10 minutes in the roasting oven
• Parsley, to serve
• Lemon juice, to serve

Method

Lay the fish fillets out on a board. You will notice that each fillet has a flat side, which is where the bone would have been. Lay one of the fillets with this side facing uppermost and lay the four anchovy fillets crossways down the fish. Slice the garlic and then lay on as well, then the rosemary.

Take the other fillet with the flat side facing down and place the thick end against the thin end of the fillet which is on the board. If you roll this onto its side you should now have a cylindrical joint with your herbs and anchovies sandwiched between the two.

Take some butcher's string and tie it round the joint in 25mm spaces, nice and tight. Add some olive oil to a frying pan on the boiling plate, season the monkfish with a little salt and pepper and sear all over until golden. Set aside, ready for the oven.

Blanch the potatoes until just softened. Drain through a colander and allow to steam dry. Sieve over some flour and toss in the colander to make sure they are well coated. Take the roasting tin in which the garlic cloves were roasted, add a little more olive oil and place on the floor of the roasting oven to get the oil really hot. Tip in the potatoes with the garlic, stir thoroughly to ensure they are well coated with the olive oil. Add the sprigs of rosemary and place on the floor of the roasting oven for about 10-15 minutes.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and add the seared monkfish, put back in the oven and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until the fish is just cooked and the potatoes are crisp and golden. If the potatoes cook before the fish, simply remove them and keep hot, and continue cooking the fish. To serve, cut the monkfish into equal chunks, stand them on their ends, sprinkle with parsley and a few drops of lemon juice. Season the whole tray with sea salt and serve.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 x 180g Kingfish portions
• Bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 6 anchovy fillets
• Juice and zest 1 lemon
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp salted capers - rinsed and chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped cornichons
• Olive oil
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Method

Brush the kingfish with oil and season, grill for 3 minutes on the skin side then finish roasting in a the oven on maximum temperature for 6-7 minutes.

Make the sauce by putting the mustard in a bowl then whisking in the oil until an emulsion starts, crush the anchovies to a pulp then add the other ingredients, taste season and serve with the fish.

Fab with just a green salad.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 green pepper
• 4 ripe tomatoes, with the skins and seeds removed
• A good pinch of cumin
• A small handful of coriander. roughly chopped
• A small handful of parsley, roughly chopped
• A small handful of mint, roughly chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed to a paste with a little salt
• Olive oil
• 6 large scallops
• Sea salt and black pepper
• lemon juice, to serve

Method

Put the pepper in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes until blackened. Remove and place in a plastic bag and seal it. Leave the pepper until it collapses and is soft and cooked through. Remove the skin and seeds and roughly chop the flesh.

Chop the tomato flesh in pieces the same size as the pepper and mix with the cumin, coriander, parsley, garlic, a little salt and a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Leave to one side to allow the flavours to develop for about 30 minutes.

Brush the scallops with oil and season with salt and black pepper. Heat a ribbed grill pan until very hot and cook the scallops for about 2-3 minutes on either side until golden and caramelised.

To serve, place a spoonful of the salad in the middle of each plate, place the scallops around and drizzle over some good olive oil, if needed, and a few drops of lemon juice.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1-2kg langoustines, depending on appetite
• 150ml olive oil
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• Good pinch of sea salt
• Small handful of parsley, finely chopped
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Freshly milled black pepper

Method

Split the langoustines in half lengthways by inserting a knife in the back of the head (you will see a little cross) and levering it towards the tail. Turn the langoustine round and separate it at the head.

In a large bowl, large enough to hold the langoustines, add 100ml of the olive oil, the chilli flakes, half of the garlic and the salt and mix together.

Add the langoustines and mix with you hands to make sure they are well coated.

Heat the grill to maximum. Arrange the langoustines shell side down and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes. Turn the langoustines over for 1-2 minutes until the flesh just starts to turn golden.

Mix together the parsley, olive oil, lemon juice salt, black pepper and remaining garlic.

Remove the langoustines to a plate and brush the flesh with the parsley and garlic dressing.