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Ingredients

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• 4 x 200g sea bass fillet portions
• 12 large peeled tiger prawns
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• sea salt flakes, freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil for pan frying

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Green Sauce

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• 4 anchovy fillets, drained
• 1 level tbsp capers
• 1 level tsp dry mustard powder
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 1½ tbsp lemon juice
• 6tbsp olive oil
• 2 level tbsp freshly chopped parsley
• 1 level tbsp freshly chopped basil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Method

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Begin by chopping the anchovy fillets as small as possible and crush them to a paste in a mortar (or a small bowl and the end of a rolling pin!).

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Put the capers in a small sieve and rinse them under cold, running water to remove the vinegar they were preserved in. Dry them on kitchen paper and chop them really small and add them to the anchovies.

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Now add the mustard, garlic, lemon juice and some freshly milled black pepper and mix well. Next, add the oil, mix again and check the taste to see how much salt to add.

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Sprinkle in the chopped herbs just before serving and again mix thoroughly so that all of the ingredients are fully combined.

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Place a large non-stick frying pan on the hob over a moderate heat, add a thin film of olive oil. Season the bass on both sides. Place skin-side down in the pan – leave the fillets to caramelize golden and crispy in the pan. Don’t be tempted to keep lifting the fillet for a quick peep – let them sizzle. Have a peep after 3 minutes, they should be about done.

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Flip them over with a palette knife or fish slice and sear the flesh-side for 60 seconds, remove from the pan and rest on a warmed plate.

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Rub the prawns with the garlic, sear for 40 seconds on each side in the bass pan; add a little more oil if necessary, season the prawns, remove from the pan, serve with the bass fillet and fennel salad.

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A generous dollop of Green Sauce completes the combination.

Ingredients

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• 500g shelled broad beans
• Leaves from a small bunch of mint
• 2 medium heads of fennel
• 80g feta cheese, crumbled
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ½ lemon

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Method

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Place the broad beans in a pan of boiling water and simmer for 1 minute, drain and immediately refresh in ice-cold water. Remove the beans from their translucent skins by gently squeezing each one between your fingertips.

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Remove the fonds from the fennel, reserving a few to garnish with. Slice very thin lengthways on a mandolin. I use the bacon slicer at work.

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Mix all the ingredients, season, dress with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Ingredients

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• 200g free-range egg whites
• 260g caster sugar
• 140g dark brown muscovado sugar

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Method

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Pre-heat the oven to 110OC/Gas mark ¼.

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Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a light simmer. Place the egg whites and both sugars in a heatproof bowl large enough to sit on top of the pan. Put it over the simmering water, making sure it doesn’t actually touch the water, and leave it there for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is quite hot (40OC) and the sugars have dissolved into the whites.

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Pour the hot mixture into the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer and whip up on high speed, using the whisk attachment. Work the meringue for about 8 minutes or until the mix has cooled down completely. When ready, it should be firm and glossy and keep its shape when you lift a bit with a spoon.

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Line a flat baking tray (or 2, depending on their size) with baking parchment. You can stick the edges to the tray with a few blobs of the meringue mix. This will hold the paper in place whilst you shape the meringues.

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Have ready two large kitchen spoons. Use one of them to scoop up a generous spoonful of the meringue and the other to scrape this out onto the tray (leave plenty of room between the meringues for them to expand in the oven; they can almost double in size). Using the spoons, shape the meringues into spikey dollops, the size of medium apples. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for anything from 1¼ - 2 hours, depending on the oven and the size of your meringues. To check, poke them gently inside and look underneath. The meringues should be nice and dry underneath and still a little soft in the centre.

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Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Stored in a dry place, but not in the fridge, the meringues will keep for a few days.