Iyer - The roasting tin: deliciously simple one-dish dinners

Note: The thinner your fillet, the quicker it will cook, whatever the weight. A cod fillet cut from the tail, which is flatter, will cook faster than one cut from the middle, which is thicker, even though they might both be 125g, so bear this in mind when using the chart.

And, of course, individual oven temperatures vary, so be prepared to leave the fish in an extra couple of minutes if needed.

Under a scorchingly hot grill, prawns are one of the quickest and easiest traybakes. This makes a lovely starter, or a more substantial meal served with a bowl of fluffy white rice.

Serves: 2

Prep: 7 minutes

Cook: 5 minutes

180g king prawns

200g mixed shiitake and oyster mushrooms

1 lime, zest and juice

2 cm ginger, grated

2 cloves of garlic, grated

1 tablespoon olive oil

a red chilli, finely sliced

3 spring onions, finely sliced

A handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Sea salt or fish sauce

1. Preheat your grill to its highest setting.

2. Combine all the ingredients (except the coriander) in a large roasting tin so that they sit in a single layer, and season with sea salt or fish sauce.

3. Place on the highest shelf of the grill for 5 minutes, until the prawns are evenly pink and cooked through. Taste and season with more sea salt or fish sauce as required. Scatter over the freshly chopped coriander, and serve immediately.

Lime & Ginger Grilled Prawns with Oriental Mushrooms & Coriander

White fish stands up so well to strong flavours and the textural contrast with the pine nut crust makes this a very pleasing dinner overall. By all means substitute the cod with pollack or your preferred sustainably caught white fish.

Serves: 2

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

2 cod fillets or steaks (approx. 300g)

300g cherry tomatoes on the vine

1 red onion, finely sliced

4 teaspoons olive tapenade

15g pine nuts

15g panko breadcrumbs

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

1. Preheat your oven to 180C fan/200C/gas 6. Arrange the cod fillets, cherry tomatoes and onion in a large roasting tin. Spread the tapenade evenly over the top of the cod fillets.

2. Lightly crush the pine nuts in a pestle and mortar, then mix them with the panko breadcrumbs, a pinch of sea salt and a tablespoon of olive oil. Pat this mixture down over the top of the tapenade.

3. Drizzle a little olive oil over the cherry tomatoes and onion, and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pop the tin into the oven on a high shelf, and roast for 15 minutes, until the topping is crisp and the cod cooked through. Serve immediately.

Note: Use fresh white breadcrumbs instead of panko breadcrumbs if more easily available.

Crispy Olive & Pine Nut Crusted Cod With Roasted Red Onions & Cherry Tomatoes

Whole trout are so easy to cook here, a very simple herb and lemon stuffing lets the flavour of the fish take centre stage. Make sure to season the fish well with sea salt inside and out before roasting.

Serves: 2

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

700g sweet potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

a small bunch of fresh tarragon, leaves only

a small bunch of fresh oregano, leaves only

2 small trout (approx. 400g each) gutted

4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

a small lemon, thinly sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan/200C/gas 6. Mix the sweet potato slices, red onion, olive oil, a teaspoon of sea salt and a good grind of black pepper in a roasting tin, along with half the herbs, then pop into the oven and roast for 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, season the cavity of the trout with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stuff with the remaining herbs, garlic, and lemon.

3. Once the sweet potatoes have had 20 minutes, top with the stuffed trout and scatter over 2 teaspoons of sea salt. Return to the oven and roast a further 20 minutes, until the trout is just cooked through (it will just begin to flake when prodded with a fork). Serve immediately.

HerbStuffed Trout With Roast Sweet Potatoes & Onions

I could eat this punchy dressing packed with fish sauce, peanuts, lime and coriander slathered over almost anything. It works particularly well to cut through the rich salmon, while the peanuts provide wonderful texture. While the salmon and broccoli cook, you can get on with the light chopping and stirring to put the dressing together. If cooking for children, leave out the chilli and add it to your portion.

Serves: 4

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 25 minutes

400g broccoli, cut into small florets

2 cloves of garlic, grated

2 tablespoons sesame/vegetable oil

4 salmon fillets (approx. 800g total)

2 spring onions, finely chopped

2 cm ginger, grated

1 red chilli, finely sliced

2 tablespoons fish sauce

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 limes, zest and juice

30g fresh coriander, finely chopped

55g peanuts, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan/200C/gas 6. Place the broccoli florets in a large roasting tin, scatter over the grated garlic, sprinkle over the oil and toss well to mix.

2. Place the salmon fillets into the roasting tin along with the broccoli, cover the tin tightly with foil, then transfer to the oven and bake for 2025 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through to your liking.

3. Meanwhile, mix together the spring onions, ginger, chilli, fish sauce, vegetable oil, lime zest and juice, coriander and peanuts. Taste and adjust the levels of fish sauce and lime juice as you wish.