Tinto Tapas Bar, Glasgow

Tapas is a much used and abused term these days for many an establishment that serves supermarket meats, greasy 'chorizo', tinned olives and rubbery squid in small brown bowls. However I'd heard good things about Tinto's (www.tintotapasbar.co.uk) and given my love of genuine Spanish food decided to give it a go for an early evening meal. I now have a local tapas bar that I would be happy to go to any time and take Spanish friends and relatives to.

This is a small establishment, only a dozen or so tables but you know when they're all full on a Monday night at 7 o'clock that something must be right. The salted almonds set the scene, just the sort of appetiser you need to get the tastebuds excited. I only wish I'd immediately asked for a fino sherry with them however I made the schoolboy error of automatically going for a glass of house red, pleasant as it was.

The menu is very wide ranging and very Spanish using traditional ingredients and combining them either simply or with a long slow cook. Simple salads, cold seafood dishes, stews and sizzling meats. So for the early evening 3 tapas for £8.95 it becomes very difficult for two people to choose which six. So I chose the three ingredients that I wanted to try the most. Rabbit, salt cod and pedro ximenex (PX) sherry. While my wife went for her favourites, cold meat and olive plate, chilli prawns and the ubiquitous patatas bravas.

The rabbit was cooked to perfection, meltingly soft with caramelised baby onions and tomatoes. It was also typically Spanish in that it felt like it had been jointed with an axe with various sharp bits of bone being negotiated. Suitably rustic. The salt cod was wonderfully pan fried with black pudding and thinly sliced chorizo. The fish meaty with a wonderful flavour of the sea giving way to a mellow saltiness then the sweet meat flavours to finish. Simple yet elegant. The ham steak in PX was similarly well cooked and the sauce from that wonderfully rich wine was unctuous and required a portion of bread to soak up it's sweetness. The prawns had a perfect hint of chilli heat, swathes of chilli flavour followed by a little garlic and lime. Clean, crisp and refreshing.

The dessert menu looked similarly tempting but I decided more PX was in order, well chilled, balanced sweetness and acidity. Ice cream topping in a glass of liquid joy. Rounded off with the best Cortado I've had since leaving Barcelona last July and with friendly, relaxed service I really can't find anything to fault Tinto and it's given me faith in Tapas again.

Mollinsburn Organics

Is there anything better than returning home on a Friday night after a long week to a huge box of fresh organic produce on your doorstep? Something to excite the senses, get the flavour combinations dancing around your head and get you looking forward to a night of cooking. Mollinsburn Organics (www.mollinsburnorganics.com) from the north west of Glasgow provide just that. They offer a vast range of organic products from locally sourced fruit and veg boxes, to eggs from Ayrshire, meat from Overton Farm and all manner of dairy products. So I know that no matter what I have in the freezer, or buy at the Farmers Market or Fishmonger that I have beautiful fresh vegetables to bring the flavours out wonderfully.

I have started to order the large veg box online and at £14 for 8-14 varieties with free home delivery I think it's tremendous value. Every week is something different and it's that variety that I always think is such fun about veg box schemes. What exactly WILL I do with kohl rabi or aubergine, vegetables that I would just never normally buy? This week brought butternut squash, courgette, celery, cabbage tomatoes and beans amongst others alongside the weekly staples of onions and potatoes. Throw in a half dozen eggs and I'm set for the weekend and the week ahead.

If you prefer the traditional method of shopping then you can visit the 'outlet' in Mollinsburn but for now I'll look forward to my Friday night vegetable adventure.

Cafe Gandolfi, Glasgow

What's more important, for you to enjoy your night or your overseas visitors to enjoy theirs?

Heard great things about the Glasgow institution that is Cafe Gandolfi and first thoughts were great. Went straight to the bar to meet colleagues before dinner. A combination of sculptured wood and old style Glasgow tiling in a building which formed part of the cheese market apparently, this is the type of bar I could sit in for hours. Great beer from the nearby West Brewery among others, wonderful range of wines and spirits and super ambiance despite the fact we were the only customers in at 6pm. A perfect introduction to Glasgow hospitality for several people on their first visit with informed, friendly and helpful service.

So downstairs we went for dinner, sitting on one of the wonderful big benches with bum shapes carved in. It's great fun talking to people who are interested in a brilliantly varied menu so reflective of the produce of Scotland. Guiding them through what exactly is a haggis, a haddie and a black pudding. (I learnt that black pudding, as with so many countries is also a national dish in Poland, called kaszanka).

Back to my original question. I have to ask because unfortunately I got drawn to the specials menu and from here my evening was a bit of a disappointment. Ordering the halloumi chips followed by the venison and Italian sausage stovies. Now I was already slightly annoyed at having to ask three times for a beer as my fellow diners were watered around me. But my mood picked up with the starter, nice if not startling and an interesting variation on the deep fried cheese theme that I hadn't seen before. But the main course was such a let down. I know everybody has a variation in the way they cook stovies but venison stovies with almost no venison is stretching a point (there were two tiny pieces I found). The sausages were fine but it was more of a sausage casserole and as such a bit peppery. The best thing about it was the beautifully cooked potatoes in the gravy. I decided not to wait around for dessert or coffee.

Fortunately the kedgeree went down well with one visitor (despite me struggling to see any fish in it) as did the fantastic looking haggis neeps and tatties, and huge smoked haddie with two others. So the reputation of Cafe Gandolfi is safe in the Netherlands, Poland and the US, but in this little part of Glasgow the jury is out for the moment.

Mussel, coley & chorizo soup

I wanted a soup that could be a meal, something hearty, filling and tasty but without reaching for the beans or the barley. Mussels are cheap, healthy and sustainable, as is Coley. Chorizo is just one of my most favourite ingredients and when it complements a flavour it lifts it to a new dimension. This is quick and easy (depending on the size of the mussels you needs to de-beard!) These ones took me a while.

This will serve four as a simple meal

1.5kg mussels debearded and dead ones discarded
1 coley fillet de-skinned and sliced into 1 inch strips
100g chorizo piccante finely chopped
Half glass dry white wine
4 shallots finely chopped
2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
Pinch saffron
Small handful dill fronds


In a good sized pot sweat the shallots and garlic in a glug of olive oil (how many recipes start this way?!). In a separate pan heat a little oil (do you need to do this?) over a high heat and when hot add the mussels and wine and cover. Cook for roughly four minutes until all the mussels have opened but don't overcook. Drain the liquor from the mussels onto the softened shallots and garlic, add the saffron and keep over a low heat. When the mussels have cooled sufficiently to handle remove half of them from the shells and add to the broth. Stir and then liquidise to a smooth liquid and return to the pot. Add the coley and let it cook through, should only take 3 minutes. I another separate pan fry the chorizo until slightly crispy and giving up its oil. Whilst this cooks remove the rest of the mussels from their shells keeping a few back for decoration. Add the chorizo and mussels to the broth, stirring to warm the mussels through. Throw in the roughly chopped dill fronds, check for seasoning and bring to the table. The coley should have flaked through but with some chunks to give a bit of depth. I only did this with a hand blender and ran out of saffron hence why slightly grainy looking and not quite stunning orange colour. Serve with crusty bread and big glass of white wine.

Shellfish linguine

You can't beat long slow cook ragu's to go with pasta. However, when time is limited but you don't want to compromise flavour then some sauces are ideal. Maximum flavour with minimum effort. I think seafood, chilli and linguine goes so well together so when the dressed crab was sold out I decided to swap the crustacean for some shellfish instead.

Serves 4

350g linguine
Dozen king prawns
250g queenie scallops
250g clams
1 red chilli finely chopped
Splash white wine
Handful chives chopped
Handful parsley finely chopped

Put the linguine on to cook in a pan of salted boiling water. Clean the clams discarding any open ones. When pasta is half way through cooking saute the chilli quickly in a saute pan in a little olive oil. Throw in the prawns and scallops and stir. Then add the clams and wine and  cover with a lid until cooked, this should be around three minutes. Discard any that don't open and stir in the herbs. Pour over the drained pasta, toss and serve.

Beetroot risotto with Stornaway black pudding

Yes I know I'm cooking lots with Stornaway black pudding. But it's such a wonderful ingredient that so would you if the shop round the corner sold it! (Thank you Alan Beveridge). The richness of flavour from it works so well with the earthy sweetness of the beetroot and the fennel just brings a bit of bite to proceedings.

Serves 4

Large black pudding cut into 12 1/2" slices
300g cooked beetroot chopped into 1cm cubes
4 shallots chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/2 small fennel bulb finely diced
250g risotto rice (preferably carnarolli)
Good splash red wine
750ml beef stock (homemade beef broth ideal)
Leaves from 6 or 7 sprigs thyme
1tbsp creme fraiche
Handful chives coarsely chopped
Good grating hard cheese (parmesan, pecorino, bonnet)
Olive oil for frying

Steam!!

Soften the shallots and garlic in a good sized saute pan or similar and then add fennel and cook for another  minute or so. Add the rice and cook gently for 5 minutes then add the beetroot and thyme. Raise the heat and splash in the wine and evaporate. Then add the warm stock ladelwise, cooking as standard risotto. As the risotto is approaching being ready fry the sliced black pudding in a separate pan with a little oil then pat thr slices dry. When the rice is al dente (15-20 minutes) take off the heat, stir through the creme fraiche, cheese and chives. Correct for seasoning and serve with the black pudding (it's a blob of creme fraiche on top here, necessary? Probably not!). And I would suggest a large chunk of bread and a pint of Scottish ale or glass of Montepulciano.

The Scottish Larder

So what is so inspirational about the Scottish Larder that I used it for my blog title? I've recently returned home after a dozen years wandering the British Isles, and every time I visited it was food and drink was the first thing on my mind. Now that I have it on my doorstep I feel the need to experiment with it, enjoy it and shout about it. There's so much more to Scotland than Irn Bru and lorne sausage, delightful as they are!

So Scotland, a land of mountains and glens, seas and lochs, cities and wilderness, rain and sometimes shine. It is a diverse, perfect, climate and landscape for so many of natures finest flavours and so many others that have been introduced, farmed and cultivated. Where the national dish of Haggis is a pudding made from offal, oatmeal and spice and elevated to that position by surely one man, Robert Burns, who wrote an ode to it as he preferred the 'hamely fare' of the Scottish peasant to the fancy stuff frae France.

Furred and feathered game of every variety is available almost all year round from every different part of the country. Wildfowl from the Solway, where Scotland meets England, including Mallard, Teal and Wigeon is bountiful and a fantastic treat. So different from farmed duck. Game birds including Partridge, Pheasant and the most feted of all, the Grouse are found countrywide on numerous estates. When it comes to four legs, Rabbits thrive seemingly everywhere, and the similar looking but very differently tasting Hare is a much rarer and shyer creature whether it be brown in the lowland farmlands or blue on the uplands. Whilst the monarch of the glen, the Red Deer, stalks the Highlands where he is king. If these wild meats were all that you could eat you would never be bored and every day would be a new adventure.

The sea is equally as abundant. Haddock which is fresh, hot or cold smoked as well as Cod, Whiting, Mackerel and numerous others. The 'Silver Darlings', Herring, which were the original catch of many of the fishing villages around the coast appear as Kippers, Rollmops, fried in oatmeal and many other guises which bring out the wonderful flavour of these oily fish. Salmon, once plentiful in the rivers of Scotland like the majestic Tweed in the Borders, is now more commonly farmed but Smoked Salmon from Scotland is still loved the world over despite the wholesale change from wild caught fish. On the west coast especially, shellfish and crustaceans thrive, many of which are sold round the world as delicacies and never see a Scottish table. Scallops, Langoustines, Mussels, Squat Lobsters, Oysters and Crabs are farmed, dived, grown or caught in creels and if you're lucky enough to arrive at a table where they are served fresh then you truly are in heaven.

Haggis, neeps and tatties

From the farms there comes one of the most famous cattle of all, the Aberdeen Angus, revered around the world as Scotch Beef to the extent it is granted protected status. Whether it be fillet or popeseye steaks for searing, topside or silverside for roasting or shin for braising it has a wonderful flavour and such mystical qualities that people associate the term with quality. And of course there is mince for the ubiquitous mince and tatties, Monday's dinner! Cows for milking roam countrywide, with many a famous cheese coming from these cattle as well as gallons of the white stuff and Rose Veal is making a comeback from the male calves from these herds. During Spring you'll barely drive round a corner in the country without seeing lambs in the field, especially the famous Blackface.

On top of all these fish and animals there's the produce from the land. Soft fruits like raspberries, strawberries and currants are grown all over the central area from the west coast to Tayside especially and have a wonderful intensity of flavour during the relatively short season. Many a childhood memory for many Scots of pick your own farms and Mum making gallons of jam. Add to this wild plants like brambles, seaweeds, rowans and sloes and you'll find plenty of flavour enhancers.

Talisker Distillery on Skye, home to my favourite whisky

There are loads of manmade products that take advantage of the produce of the land and natural resources of the country. Whisky, (uisque beath in Gaelic, the water of life), is produced from the English border all the way to Orkney and from Islay in the west taking in Speyside in the north all the way to the east coast around Banff. Each distillery with it's own characteristic there's a whisky for everybody from smoky, oily and salty on the windswept islands, to many light floral offerings from the lowlands. And then there's beer, shortbread, heather honey, countless cheeses like Dunlop and Bonnet and the Stornaway Black pudding and you're beginning to get a flavour of the picture.

These are the reasons, and many more that I've probably forgotten to include, that I love to cook from the Scots Larder. Why every mealtime becomes an adventure and why I love trying to let the flavours and character of my homeland take centre stage in so many meals. Happy travelling through this amazing landscape, many places thronging with people and some so inaccessible that the Golden Eagle is the lord of the mountains. Scotland, my favourite larder.

Brewery Hill 'Jacko's Leap' Savagnin 2011

I love discovering new things, that anticipation when you first open a bottle and wonder what is inside. This Savagnin (it's not sauvignon, I can spell!) is one of those bottles. A grape from Jura that I have never tried. These French vines have made their way to South Australia and what an interesting wine Jock has made from them. Very very pale straw in colour then with quite a closed appley alcoholic nose. Then it explodes on the palate, huge swathes of zingy acidic green apple fruit followed by a mellow peachiness and almost a little riesling petrol note on the finish with the acidity flowing through. This is definitely a wonderful summer wine, typically Australian and up front. I just wonder if there will be any of it left for my wife to try tomorrow.....

From Naked Wines

Peat smoked haddock and queenie scallop risotto

Smoked haddock risotto is a bit of a staple so I had to think how to lift it up a bit. Then I discovered peat smoked haddock in Alan Beveridge, it has such a wonderful rich sweet, salty, smoky flavour and so the sweet flavour of the sea from the scallops complements it perfectly. It would have looked better if I'd managed to find samphire as planned.

This will serve four

2 big fillets smoked haddock (peat smoked if you can, if not then undyed smoked haddock is fine)
150g queen scallops
250g carnarolli rice
2 shallots finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
100ml white wine
750ml fish stock (again homemade best)
Good grating pecorino or parmesan
Olive oil for cooking


Sweat the shallots and garlic in a good glug of oil until softened. Add the rice and cook over a low heat for five minutes. Add the wine, turn up the heat and let evaporate. When evaporated add the first ladelful of stock and over a medium heat stir continually. Add the rest of the stock ladelwise, stirring regularly. When the rice is almost done add the haddock to the top to cook through, then stir through when cooked and add the scallops for the last couple of minutes. When rice fully cooked grate in the cheese, stir well and serve.

Four pots bubbling, can't beat it!

Champagne Moutard NV

As Naked Wines say 'an alternative to Bolly that will save you lots of pounds but tastes just as good' and I would agree, it's stunning. A pale straw colour with a tiny pink hue I believe this is 100% pinot noir. A delicate mousse with an intense nose of apples, biscuits and almonds. It is very complex but refreshing on the palate with a fresh fruity acidity, a little biscuity body and then a wonderful citrus finish. I would buy this again and again.

From Naked Wines.

A seafood broth

I love seafood, you can't beat it for freshness, flavour and for sheer enjoyment of experimentation and it goes so well with so many ingredients, it complements chorizo, and the fresh herbs and white wine make it zing. It's also great to watch everyone get messy as they wrestle with heads, tails, claws and shells! I threw this soup together with what I found available in the fishmonger and supermarket but really it's all about experimenting with what's available and in season.

I made my own stock using the bones from the gurnard with stock vegetables but you could use a cube if heads and bones offend you or even a shop bought pot of stock, many fishmongers do excellent ones. I just don't like to see flavour going in the bin so made my own.

This will serve 4

1 Gurnard filleted and chopped into bitesize chunks
100g clams
100g squid chopped into rings
Dozen mussels
150g king prawns
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin cannellini beans
50g chorizo piccante finely chopped
2 shallots finely chopped
Splash white wine (just a splash, not a sploosh, there's a big difference!)
Tiny splash sherry vinegar (maybe 1tsp)
Dessertspoon finely chopped dill
2 small ladels fish stock


In a medium pot sweat the chorizo in a little olive oil until it begins to give up it's colour then add the shallots and cook slowly until soft. Add the gurnard and coat in the orangey oil to brown a little and then add the tomatoes. Add the sherry vinegar and beans and bring to a slow simmer. Meanwhile clean and de-beard the mussels and clams making sure you discard any dead ones. The end of this recipe is all about timing, nobody wants cold or overcooked seafood. When you're happy with the flavour and consistency of the soup, probably around 15 minutes, put a little olive oil in the bottom of a hot pan and then add the mussels, clams and white wine, cover and set timer for 4 minutes. Add the prawns to the soup and give the shellfish pot a shake but don't take off the lid or the cooking steam will all be lost. When the buzzer goes drain the shellfish pot into the soup to get all the flavour the clams and mussels have given up along with the white wine. At this point put the squid into the soup as any more than two minutes will render it elastic band like! Take the mussels and clams from their shells except a couple for decoration (not essential unless you'd like to impress somebody!) and add to the soup. Take off the heat, stir through the dill, correct for seasoning and serve in warmed bowls with a huge chunk of Guinness soda bread.

Kopi coffee

Most of my posts are that of a very enthusiastic amateur but when it comes to coffee I do have a little professional experience. 10 years with a major coffee manufacturer was a treat for the senses. Daily tastings looking forward to the finest Colombian and Ethiopian coffees and heart sinking when faced with 15 Vietnamese robustas rendering tastebuds useless for the rest of the day! So I was very excited by the prospect when the little package from Kopi came through the letterbox.

Kopi are an online coffee subscription company. Each month they choose a single estate coffee from around the world. This month was Malawi Geisha AB from Msese District and in the pack you get a little leaflet telling you all about the coffee, the region and most importantly the growers. So with all this effort and detail what is the coffee like?

It's actually very good. There's a really great fresh roasted aroma from the packet when you open it and breathe in deeply. What follows from the cup is a wonderfully zesty citrussy honeyed flavour. Not the wineyness and almost earl grey flavours you get from East African neighbours Kenya and Ethiopia but more of an earthy, malty acidity which dances round your mouth leaving it refreshed. The finish is long and mouthwateringly satisfying. As my wife and friend said 'this is a real wake me up coffee'.


Previous months have brought coffees from Mexico, Thailand and Antigua and I look forward to finding out which gems these guys unearth next. At between £7 and £9 a month for 250g depending on your subscription it's not cheap. But then neither are two big mugs of warm milk and a little coffee disguising themselves as a latte in your local coffee chain. The extra quality make it worthwhile for me.

Six Nations Rugby Weekend

So this weekend I'm doing the entertaining. After a day of hospitality at Murrayfield it's time to invite the Welshman to Glasgow for a rugby weekend. But what to cook for a guest to showcase the Scots Larder on a cosmopolitan weekend of rugby? Bearing in mind that cooking times could suffer during three 80 minute interludes and one visit to a local hostelry to watch our game. So here it is then Doc, my take on a Scots menu with a six nations flavour.....

First game up is Italy v England. So, for England, following a welcoming Bombardier will be fish and chips on Friday night. Home cured trout fillet with chunky chips and a dill mayonnaise. Porridge to start the day on Saturday with a healthy Scottish helping and maybe soup for lunch from whatever vegetables Mollinsburn Organics deliver in the weekly box on Friday. The rugby will be accompanied by a fine selection of ales from Williams Brothers.

Saturday night is Italian with a seafood and white bean broth followed by peat smoked haddock and queenie scallop risotto. Washed down with a couple of glasses of white. Maybe we'll even invite the World Champions to the party with a New Zealand Sauvignon.

Next we turn attention to Paris and France v Ireland. The household will definitely be turned green that  night as we cheer on the Irish but the cheeseboard will be show no allegiance and will be a fifty fifty split from both countries. All served on Guinness soda bread with French red wine.

Now to Sunday, the BIG day. Wales v Scotland in Cardiff. I would imagine breakfast will actually be brunch so lorne sausage, Stornaway black pudding and Welsh rarebit (knew I'd fit you in!) to build up strength for the battle ahead. So, with battle dresses, well rugby shirts, we'll adjourn to The Clockwork Bar in  Mount Florida. To watch the game and sample some of their fine ales which are brewed on the premises, actually on, not beside, under or near but on. You can choose a table looking at the brewery three feet away if you want!!

After watching a Scotland victory we will settle down back home to light beef, veal and herb broth followed by pot roast veal and top rib served with some more of the available vegetables. And we'll chew the fat about the winners and losers, the great tries (doubtful to come from Scotland!), the missed tackles and the merits of the referees. Still as friends but well fed ones. I LOVE the Six Nations Championship, the best sports tournament in the World.

Fragrant buffalo stew (but you could use beef!)

I saw buffalo in the fishmonger (don't ask!) and decided to give it a go. It's a lower fat meat than beef, rich but not gamey like venison. It also cooks a lot quicker and is easily overcooked so if you're using beef you'll need to adjust the times. This meat came from high on the plains of the Kingdom of Fife. Naturally! I love using anchovy because it imparts a wonderful rich flavour of the sea while also seasoning the dish and goes so amazingly with garlic and rosemary. I'd also have grated some lemon zest to try as well for a little bit of acidity cutting through but to be honest I didn't have a lemon and was unlikely to find one on Sunday night. I'll put it as optional on the recipe and anybody who ventures as far as cooking this can let me know.

This will serve 4 people

600g diced buffalo
50g tin anchovies in olive oil drained
3 shallots finely chopped
Splash red wine
Tin chopped tomatoes
Squeeze of tomato puree, probably around 1tbsp
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 sprigs rosemary leaves chopped
1 tbsp parsley chopped
Zest of 1/4 lemon (optional)

Heat the oven to 180C and on the hob add the anchovies into a hot casserole dish. Reduce the heat and allow to melt, you don't need oil as the residual oil in the fish will come out. Add the shallot, rosemary and garlic and heat through for a minute, constantly stirring. Then add the tomato puree and mix followed by the wine. This will give a thin paste. Add the buffalo and coat well with the mixture and then the chopped tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and then cover and place in the oven. Cook for roughly 90 minutes although keep and eye from 75, when it's tender remove from the oven and stir through the chopped parsley (and lemon zest) and serve. I served it with greens and crusty bread but potatoes would also be good. Tomorrow night I'm going to blitz the leftovers as a pasta sauce....

Healthy Mediterranean fish and chips

So lots of people have mentioned that most of my food isn't the healthiest in the world. And they're probably right! So here's one with very little fat, delicious fish and packed full of goodness!! Sea bass with chunky paprika and fennel wedges and ratatouille. The fish was from The Scottish Fishmonger and was deliciously meaty.

Serves four

4 sea bass fillets
2lb potatoes
1 aubergine diced roughly
1 courgette sliced
2 sticks celery sliced
2 peppers, preferably red or yellow chopped roughly
2 onions finely chopped
5 cloves garlic crushed and coarsely chopped
3 tins chopped tomatoes
1tsp herbs de Provence
1 sprig rosemary leaves chopped finely
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sea salt (with seaweed if possible)
1/2 tsp plain sea salt
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1tbsp oil for oiling fish and chips

For the ratatouille add all the vegetables and tomatoes, garlic, herbs de Provence and rosemary in a pot and heat to a simmer until all vegetables are tender, maybe 45 minutes. You don't want mush but you don't want crunch either!

Chop the potatoes lengthwise into wedges and parboil without rinsing for 5 minutes. Drain and place in a deep oven dish, season with the salt, paprika and fennel seeds. Toss with 1/2tbsp oil and place in a preheated oven at 200C for around 20 minutes until golden brown and tender.

Lightly season the fish fillets with the seaweed salt or plain salt depending what you have. Then oil with a tiny amount of oil on both sides and leave for 10-15 minutes. Heat a frying pan that can accommodate all four fillets (or 2 if you haven't one big enough) until hot and then add the fish skin side down. Depending on the size of the fillet cook for 3-4 minutes on this side and then when only a little translucent uncooked bit left on top flick then over for 30seconds to a minute to finish off.

Serve the fish, chips (wedges) and ratatouille together.