Green-lipped mussels

Dinner of linguine with green-lipped mussels from the Mersea Island Company Shed. Steamed for a few minutes in some butter, garlic, chilli flakes and white wine. Perfectly paired with a lovely summer evening. Windows open, salty breeze, mouthfuls of sea. Mmmmm.

King prawns in a Spanish spinach tomato sauce

King prawns again! Spanish this time, after a recipe in Moro (did I mention I love that book?). The Moro recipe uses finely chopped green pepper and caraway seed, but I used spinach, since that’s what my veg box gave me, and fennel seeds plus a tiny bit of cumin, as there was no caraway seed around the house. Tasted great though, especially with a slice of lightly toasted sourdough rye bread.

raw king prawns, peeled or unpeeled

a couple handfuls of fresh spinach

tin of good-quality chopped tomatoes, or homemade tomato sauce (for two persons, use two tins)

plenty of garlic, thinly sliced

fresh parsley

fennel or caraway seeds

dried chillies or chilli flakes

Heat a splash of olive oil and fry the garlic and some dried chillies. When the garlic starts to colour, add the caraway or fennel seeds. Stir in the tomatoes or tomato sauce, season with sea salt and black pepper and, if the sauce needs it, a pinch of sugar, and simmer for a while. (The Moro recipe says discard the juices of the tinned tomatoes before adding them, but I actually like this dish with a bit of thicker and a bit of more watery sauce.) Add the spinach and the prawns and cook for a few more minutes, until the prawns are pink. Serve with a generous amount of fresh parsley.

King prawn linguine with cherry tomatoes and rocket

I eat king prawns very rarely, but when I do, this is one of my favourite recipes. This really does have bags of flavour, as the stale Masterchef saying goes, but in a completely cohesive way.

king prawns

linguine

a pack of cherry tomatoes

a good handful of rocket

garlic, chopped

chilli flakes

a splash of dry white wine or vermouth

Boil the linguine (this is one of the rare occasions where I would use “white”, not wholewheat). When the pasta is five minutes from done, gently fry the garlic in a good amount of olive oil without browning it. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add to the pan cut side down. Season with pepper, sea salt and some chilli flakes. After a few minutes, add the king prawns and a splash of white wine or vermouth and give everything a good swirl in the pan. The olive oil, wine and tomato juices should come together to form a thick saucy coating for the prawns. Drain the linguine and add to the pan, coating the strands with the sauce. Transfer to plate(s), top with the rocket, and serve with a cold white beer or a glass of white wine.

Vietnamese noodle salad with red pepper and coriander

I have this kind of salad all the time. It’s fresh and zingy and easy to make, and altogether a great summer meal. I usually have a slightly different dressing each time, but in the early noodle salad days, this one was a standard reference. Great on its own, or topped with grilled prawns, beef or tuna steak. The dressing is enough for two or three portions.

glass noodles

red pepper / sugar snaps / mangetout / bean sprouts / cucumber

big bunch of fresh coriander

a generous amount of Thai basil (if you can get it)

some fresh mint

2 cloves garlic, finely minced 


2 fresh red chillies, chopped
(less hot without the seeds and the strips they’re attached to)

2 cm fresh ginger, finely grated

4 tbsp fish sauce


juice and zest of 1 lime

1 tbsp honey or sugar

2 tsp vegetable oil


1 tsp sesame oil

(and a few tbsp water, if the dressing is too strong)

Cook or soak the glass noodles, in whatever way the pack tells you to. Finely slice the pepper, and/or steam the sugar snaps or mangetout (very briefly – you still want them bright green and snappy). If you use cucumber, shave into long strips. Combine the garlic, chillies, ginger, lime zest and liquids to form a dressing. Put the drained noodles in a bowl, dress with the dressing, add the vegetables and (torn) herbs, mix again, and if applicable, top with prawns or thinly sliced beef or tuna steak.