SERVES 4 AS A MAIN COURSE

For the sauce

olive oil for frying

1 banana shallot, thinly sliced

1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced

50ml dry vermouth

100ml white wine

200ml vegetable stock (see Basics p. 284)

For the vegetables

140g fresh peas, podded weight

100g samphire

4 small Little Gem lettuce, outer leaves removed, halved lengthwise

For the fish

4 x 100g bass fillet portions

20g unsalted butter

70g unsalted butter for the sauce, cold, diced

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

lemon juice

1. To make the sauce, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a sauté pan and add the shallot and garlic. Stir in a pinch of salt and cook for 3–4 minutes until the shallot have starts to soften. Add the alcohol and reduce until syrupy. Add the vegetable stock and reduce over a high heat by half. Set the mix aside for now.

2. Blanch the peas and samphire in boiling salted water for 1 minute, then transfer to a bowl of iced water to refresh.

3. Trim a ‘V’ notch out of the root end of the lettuce to remove most of the core but still keep the lettuce in one piece. Season the lettuce well on the cut side and rub with a little oil. Heat a non-stick pan and sear the lettuce on the cut side. You want a deep golden brown with the odd spot of black. Turn the lettuce over and add a splash of water to the pan. Cover with a lid or plate and remove from the heat. The idea is that the lettuce will wilt a little but still retain some crunch.

4. With a sharp knife, lightly score the skin on the bass with cuts about 1cm apart. Cut through the skin but only just into the flesh. Season the skin side with salt. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a large, non-stick pan and place the bass in, skin side down, pressing down gently on the fillets to stop them curling. Cook for around 2 minutes until the skin has started to crisp. Season the flesh side with salt and pepper and add the butter to the pan. When the butter is foaming, turn the fillets skin side up and cook for a further minute. Test by pushing a cocktail stick into the thickest part of the flesh; if it goes in smoothly, the fish is done; if you can still feel the fibres tearing, give it a little longer. Remove the fish to some kitchen paper to drain.

5. While the fish is cooking, warm the sauce base and whisk in the butter. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Add the peas and samphire. Warm the vegetables through without letting the sauce boil.

6. To serve, place two pieces of lettuce in the centre of each of four shallow bowls and spoon the pea and samphire ragout around. Place a fillet of bass on top of the lettuce. This will eat well as it is, but crusty bread or baby new potatoes are a good addition.