Fresh tuna is a solid, almost meaty, fish and although it is full of beneficial omega-3 oils, it can taste a bit bland or dry. The secret is not to overcook it and, in this case, to add a little piquancy without overpowering the flavour of the fish.

• 4 fresh tuna steaks.
• ½ a red pepper, cut into tiny dice.
• ½ a small onion, finely chopped.
• 1 tomato, roughly chopped.
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional).
• 2 tbls balsamic vinegar.
• Olive oil for frying.

1. Make the relish. In a small saucepan, gently sweat the pepper and onion with a good slug of olive oil until they start to soften (4-5 minutes). Add the tomato and chilli flakes and continue to heat, stirring continuously for a further 5 minutes until the tomato becomes mushy. Increase the heat and add the balsamic vinegar, boiling for 1 minute. The relish is now ready and can be set aside until the fish is cooked.

2. Heat a little olive oil in a non-stick frying pan until it just begins to smoke. Add the tuna steaks and cook for no more than 2-3 minutes on each side. They should still be a little pink in the middle. Lift the steaks onto serving plates and spoon over the warmed relish. Serve with a tossed green salad.

Serves 4.

Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Cooking Time: 15 minutes.

Chicken breasts can sometimes be a little bland so they need some added flavours. In this recipe, strips of chicken are marinated with small quantities of ginger, lemon and chilli then char-grilled and served with exotic mango. The result is a colourful and aromatic mix of hot and sweet tastes that linger in the mouth without any of the flavours predominating. Serve with a tossed green salad

•      2-3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips.
•      ½ a red chilli, seeds removed and thinly sliced.
•      A thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped.
•      The grated rind and juice of a small lemon.
•      1 tbls of good olive oil.
•      1 mango, peeled and cut into segments.
•      Salt and freshly ground pepper.

1. In a shallow dish, mix together the chicken strips, chilli, ginger, olive oil, lemon rind and juice. Cover and place in the fridge to marinade for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer.

2. Fry the chicken with all the marinade in a ribbed griddle pan over high heat until the chicken is brown and a little crispy at the edges.

3. Remove the chicken and keep warm. Using the same pan, fry the wedges of mango for a couple of minutes on each side until you have a striped effect.

4. Arrange the cooked chicken with the mango, garnish with a few slices of chilli and serve.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes to marinade.
Cooking time: 10 minutes.

Cous Cous/Kuskus
Couscous or kuskus as it is known in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt  is a Berber dish consisting of spherical granules made by rolling and shaping moistened semolina wheat and then coating them with finely ground wheat flour. The finished grains are about 1 mm in diameter before cooking. The Levantine variant, popular also in Israel, is about twice the diameter and made of hard wheat instead of semolina.[2] Traditional couscous requires considerable preparation time and is usually steamed. In many places, a more processed quick-cook couscous is available and is particularly valued for its short preparation time.
“Israeli couscous”, also called “ptitim”, is a pasta product similar to the Italian orzo. In North America, it is considered as a larger version of couscous and is used in slightly different ways. In Western cooking it is often used as a bed for salmon or chicken dishes, or put into salads. One of its purposes was to provide a rice substitute for Mizrahi Jews, for whom rice was the staple grain. Unlike North African couscous, it is not semolina at all, but rather baked wheat.

A simple grilled sea bass is one of the finest tasting fish you can eat. Don’t be put off by the bones – cooked this way the flesh will just fall away. Ask you fishmonger to clean and de-scale the fish and remove the heads if you prefer. The citrus cous cous served goes perfectly with fish, but it is so quick and easy to prepare that I use it all the time as a substitute for potatoes.

•  2 sea bass about 250g each
•  About 20 cherry tomatoes on the vine
•  The juice and grated rind of a small lemon
•  The juice and rind of about half an orange
•  About 100ml of light fish stock or chicken stock
•  125g cous cous
•  Olive oil
•  Salt and pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

2. Place the tomatoes in an ovenproof dish, drizzle with olive oil and season. Roast for 15–20 minutes until soft.

3. Pre-heat the grill to maximum. Make a series of diagonal slashes on each side of the fish and place on a grill tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with sea salt. Grill for 3–4 minutes on each side until the skin is crisp, brown and blistered.

4. Meanwhile add the stock to the citrus juices and make up to 150ml of liquid. Place the citrus stock in a medium pan with a tight fitting lid and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the cous cous, citrus rind and a good slug of olive oil. Set aside with the lid on for 2–3 minutes and stir again.

5. Place the grilled fish on a warm serving plate next to the tomatoes and spoon on the cous cous.

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Cod is the common name for the genus of fish Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name of a variety of other fishes. Cod is a popular food fish with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense white flesh that flakes easily. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of Vitamin A, Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA). Larger cod caught during spawning are sometimes called skrei. Young Atlantic cod or haddock prepared in strips for cooking is called scrod.

I made these fish cakes with cod, but any flaky fish will do. Unusually, this version is baked in the oven rather than fried, and this gives a crispy outside with a soft crumbly centre. The sauce was a bit of an after-thought, but worked quite well. If you don’t have all the ingredients to hand, a good blob of tomato ketchup would be acceptable, as would a dollop of mayonnaise. Serve the fishcakes with a green salad or green vegetables such as broccoli and French beans.

•  350g cod fillet.
•  2 large potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks and boiled until just cooked.
•  2-4 spring onions, finely sliced (or ½ an onion).
•  The grated rind of a lemon.
•  A handful of fresh parsley, chopped.
•  Salt and pepper.

    For the sauce:

•  2 tbls tomato ketchup.
•  1 tsp sweet chilli sauce.
•  The juice of half a lemon.
•  A splash of dry sherry.

1. Pre heat the oven to 200°C.

2. Poach the fish in a little stock, until just cooked. Allow to cool then remove any skin and break the fish into flakes. Reserve the stock.

3. Mash the potatoes while still warm, then stir in the lemon rind, parsley and sliced onion. Season with salt and pepper then fold in the fish, taking care not to break it up. Add a little of the stock from the fish if the mixture seems too dry.
Form the mixture into 4 round patties (a metal pastry cutter is useful for this – press the mixture into the ring and then slide it off). Place the fish cakes onto a greased, non-stick baking tray and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small jug. Place the cooked fish cakes on warmed serving plates and pour the sauce over and around.

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Stuffed peppers is an American cuisine dish which consists of cooked green bell peppers filled with meat, typically beef, along with breadcrumbs, egg, herbs or spices, especially paprika and parsley, and cheese. Recipes vary, but often includes the following: first removing the seeds, boiling the peppers, stuffing them, covering with the cheese, and baking the combined foodstuff. A sauce may be served with them, most commonly a tomato sauce, but this, too, varies greatly.

Roasted peppers in a rich tomato sauce - colourful and ever so tasty. I used a mixture of red and yellow peppers in this version, but you can use any colour you like. Serve with plain boiled rice.

•  2 medium peppers.
•  300g minced beef.
•  1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped.
•  ½ tsp ground nutmeg.
•  1 tsp mixed dried herbs
•  Salt and pepper.
•  50g grated cheese (parmesan or cheddar-type)
•  olive oil.
•  A mugful of long grain rice
• For the tomato sauce.
•  A 410g can of tomatoes.
•  1 tbls tomato purée.
•  ½ tsp paprika..
•  1 tsp cornflour mixed with a little water.

1. Pre heat the oven to 200°C.

2. Slice the peppers in half from top to botton, leaving the stalk in tact. Remove any seeds and pith and place on a shallow ovenproof dish.

3. Add a little olive oil to a large frying pan and fry the onions and minced beef with the nutmeg and dried herbs over a high heat for 7-8 minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

4. Spoon the mixture into the halved peppers, reserving 3-4 tbls. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and sprinkle the cheeese over each pepper. Place in the oven for 35-40 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Add the canned tomatoes to the frying pan with the reserved mince/onion and bring to the boil, stirring to break up the tomatoes. Add the tomato purée and paprika and cook over a low heat for 15-20 minutes. Just before serving, add the cornflour and stir to thicken the sauce. Add a little more water if the sauce is too thick.

6. When the sauce is ready, boil the rice in plenty of water for 7-8 minutes, rinse with more boiling water from a kettle.

6. Remove the peppers from the oven and place the a bed of rice. Spoon the sauce over the top and serve.

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

"It tastes like cough medicine," someone said to me, but Campari with soda and aslice of orange is the perfect long drink for those balmy summer evenings. It also goes well with fruit as in this recipe. You could serve this as a starter or a dessert or even (as a hair of the dog) for breakfast.

• 1 grapefruit
• A thick slice of melon
• A splash of Campari
• 1-2 tsps of sugar
• Mint to garnish

1. Slice the top and bottom off the grapefruit, then cut off the skin and pith. Carefully slice between each segment and place the small wedges of grapefruit in a bowl. Add the Campari and a little sugar. The sugar will counteract the slightly bitter taste of the Campari and the amount of sugar required will depend on your taste buds and the sweetness of the grapefruit.

2. Cut the melon from its skin and slice into small pieces, then add this to the grapefruit. You can serve immediately in sundae dishes or leave the mixture to stand for a while so that the Campari soaks into the fruit. Garnish with sprigs of mint.

Serves 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Garlic/Ajo
Garlic is widely used around the world for its pungent flavour as a seasoning or condiment. It is a fundamental component in many or most dishes of various regions, including eastern Asia, south Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, northern Africa, southern Europe, and parts of South and Central America. The flavour varies in intensity and aroma with the different cooking methods. It is often paired with onion, tomato, or ginger. The parchment-like skin is much like the skin of an onion and is typically removed before using in raw or cooked form. An alternative is to cut the top off the bulb, coat the cloves by dribbling olive oil (or other oil-based seasoning) over them, and roast them in an oven.

Spring onions are hard to find in my part of Spain, so imagine my surprise when I thought I had found some in my local village market. Alas, they turned out not to be spring onions, but “ajos tiernos”. Literally translated, this means tender (or fresh) garlic. They are, in effect, the growing tips of the garlic plant, pulled in the spring before the garlic bulb forms at the roots. I bought them anyway and, though they are nothing like spring onions, their mild, almost sweet flavour is much subtler than the usual garlic cloves. Even if you don’t like garlic, give these a try.

•  4 salmon fillets or steaks.
•  8 stalks of tender (fresh) garlic.
•  A knob of butter.
•  1 tsps green peppercorns, crushed.
•  1 tsp capers, chopped.
•  3-4 tbls thick cream or crème fraîche.
•  Salt and pepper.

1. Trim the garlic stalks to about 6 inches, removing the roots and any dry outer layers. Cut them in half  and reserve the bottom pieces for later. Slice the top half of the stalks from top to bottom to give thin ribbons.

2. Melt the butter in a small pan and gently fry the ribbons of garlic until soft. Crush the green peppercorns with the side of a knife and add these to the pan along with the capers and cream or crème fraîche. Heat until bubbling then season with a little salt. Set aside until the rest of the dish is ready.

3. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the reserved garlic stalks for about 5 minutes, turning constantly until they take on a little colour. Set aside and keep warm.

4. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and fry or grill for 3-4 minutes on each side. Reheat the garlic cream mixture and serve the salmon with the sauce poured over the top. Garnish with the fried garlic pieces.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Cherry tomatoes
A cherry tomato is a smaller garden variety of tomato. It is marketed at a premium to ordinary tomatoes, and is popular as a snack and in salads. Cherry tomatoes are generally considered to be similar but not identical to the wild precursor of the domestic tomato. They are often more sour than standard tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes range in size from a thumbtip up to the size of a golf ball, and can range from being spherical to slightly oblong in shape.

The more oblong ones often share characteristics with plum tomatoes, and are known as grape tomatoes. The cherry tomato is regarded as a botanical variety of the cultivated tomato, Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme. It was widely cultivated in Central America when the Conquistadores arrived and is thought to be the ancestor of all cultivated tomatoes.

A lightly grilled tuna steak is the perfect healthy meal. In this recipe, the sharpness and slight acidity of roast cherry tomatoes cuts through the oily fish and the piquant dressing adds a touch of heat. Serve with a green salad or garlic mashed potatoes.

•  2 fresh tuna steaks – about 200g each
•  10 cherry tomatoes
•  A splash of balsamic vinegar
•  A handful of fresh parsley
•  A small piece of red pepper
•  A quarter of a fresh red chilli or a pinch or two of chilli flakes
•  A quarter of a small onion
•  Olive oil
•  Salt and pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

2. Place the tomatoes on an ovenproof dish, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season. Roast for 25–30 minutes until soft.

3. Meanwhile make the dressing. Place the parsley, pepper, chilli and onion in a small processor and whiz for a few seconds – enough to finely chop the ingredients, but not to make a purée. Remove from the processor to a small bowl and stir in a good slug of olive oil. Set aside to allow the flavours to infuse.

4. Cook the tuna steaks over high heat in a lightly oiled, ribbed griddle pan – 2 minutes each side if you like them pink in the middle, longer if you don’t.
5. Spoon the roast tomatoes onto a serving plate, place the tuna on top and pour the dressing over and around.

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30  minutes

Risotto is a rich and creamy, traditional Italian rice dish. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. Its origins are in Northern Italy, specifically Eastern Piedmont, Western Lombardy, and the Veneto where rice paddies are abundant. It is one of the pillars of Milanese cuisine. A high-starch, low-amylose round medium grain rice is used to make risotto. Such rices have the ability to absorb liquids and to release starch and so they are stickier than the long grain varieties.

Luscious, creamy risotto  is one of my favourite dishes. It takes a little care and attention to get it right, but it’s not that difficult and the time spent is well worthwhile. Ideally you should use Italian arborio rice, but in this version I used a Spanish paella rice. The main thing is to use a good short grain rice; long grain rice just won’t work in risotto. The key to success is the proportion of stock to rice – roughly 3 parts stock to 1 part rice and to add the warm stock a little at a time.

•  400g mushrooms, quartered.
•  1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped.
•  25g butter.
•  4 fat garlic cloves, peeled and chopped.
•  Freshly ground black pepper.
•  2 chicken legs or 4 thighs, de-boned and the meat cut into bite sized chunks.
•  Olive oil for frying.
•  2 tsps fresh thyme leaves.
•  2 mugs short grain rice.
•  A glass of dry white wine.
•  6 mugs warm chicken stock (cubes will do, but you will need to use two)

To serve
 50g fresh parmesan cheese, shaved or coarsely grated (optional).

1. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and gently fry the onion for 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, garlic and plenty of pepper and continue to fry for 5-6 minutes until the mushrooms have taken on a little colour. Set aside on a plate.

2. Add a little oil to the pan and fry the chicken pieces over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until they are brown and sticky. Set aside with the mushrooms.

3. Add a little more oil to the pan and heat with the rice for 1-2 minutes until it becomes slightly translucent. Add the wine and continue to heat and stir until it has virtually evaporated. Now it is time to add the stock - one mugful at a time - stirring constantly so that it is gradually absorbed by the rice. After about 10 minutes, add the chicken and mushrooms as well as the thyme leaves. Continue to stir and add the stock for a further 5 - 10 minutes until the mixture becomes soft and creamy, but the rice still has a little crunch. It is now ready to serve.

4. Spoon the risotto onto warmed serving plates and sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

What Salmon Can Do For You
Salmon is a popular food. Consuming salmon is considered to be healthy due to the fish’s high protein, high Omega-3 fatty acids, and high vitamin D content. Salmon is also a source of cholesterol, ranging 23–214 mg/100g depending on the species. According to reports in the journal Science, however, farmed salmon may contain high levels of dioxins. PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) levels may be up to eight times higher in farmed salmon than in wild salmon. Nonetheless, according to a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the benefits of eating even farmed salmon still outweigh any risks imposed by contaminants  Type of Omega 3 present may not be a factor for other important health functions.

Most fishcakes I’ve ever eaten comprise loads of mashed potato and just a few flakes of fish. This version is very different - firm, full of fish and not even a hint of potato. The fishcakes take only a few minutes to prepare in a food processor.

•  300g skinless salmon fillets
•  A chunk of day old crusty bread (a 3 inch piece of baguette would do nicely)
•  1 tbls chopped chives
•  1 tbls chopped fresh parsley
•  Half a small red pepper diced
•  A small piece of red chilli, chopped (optional)
•  Salt and pepper
•  Plain flour
•  Oil - use a flavourless oil such as sunflower

1. Whiz the bread in a food processor until you have fine crumbs. Next, add the chives, parsley, red pepper and chilli and whiz some more until everything is well blended. Finally, cut the salmon into chunks and add these to the processor with a little salt and pepper. Pulse the processor two or three times until the fish is well blended with the other ingredients. It is important not to over-process the mixture at this stage or you will end up with a soggy mush.

2. On a large plate, mix the flour with a little salt and pepper. Take a dessert spoonful of the salmon mixture and use your hands to form a small round patty about 1cm thick, then dip in the seasoned flour. Repeat until you have used up all the mixture (There should be enough for 8-10 fishcakes).

3. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan and fry the fishcakes for 4-5 minutes on each side until they are golden brown. Serve hot with a crisp green salad, crusty bread and alioli.

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes