Outlaw - Everyday seafood

Smoked paprika sardines, marinated pepper salad

If its warm enough for a barbecue I always look out for fresh sardines, as they are amazing cooked over coals. The pepper salad goes perfectly and I love the fact that you can use the barbecue for that too. If you fancy it, you can add a few other veggies to the peppers as well, such as courgettes or mushrooms I usually grab whatever is to hand. If you cant get sardines, mackerel is a great alternative. And if the weathers iffy, use the grill instead.

Serves 4

12 fresh sardines, scaled and gutted

4 tsp sweet smoked paprika

2 tsp salt

About 100ml olive oil

For the marinated pepper salad

2 red peppers

1 yellow pepper

1 green pepper

2 red onions, peeled and each cut into 6 wedges

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked and chopped

20 basil leaves, finely sliced

100ml red wine vinegar

100ml extra virgin olive oil

A couple of handfuls of rocket leaves

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

2 lemons, halved

For the pepper salad, peel the skin from the peppers, using a vegetable peeler (dont worry if you dont get all the skin off). Halve, core and deseed the peppers, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Place in a bowl with the onion wedges, garlic, thyme, basil, wine vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and leave to marinate for 1520 minutes.

Light your barbecue about 30 minutes before you want to begin cooking (or preheat the grill). When it is almost ready, thread the peppers and onions onto skewers. Reserve the oil and vinegar remaining in the bowl for the dressing.

When the barbecue coals are white hot (or the grill is ready), lay the vegetable skewers on the grid (or grill tray) and cook for 68 minutes, turning occasionally, until the peppers are charred and soft. Slide the vegetables off the skewers into a bowl and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, season the sardines with the smoked paprika and salt and drizzle all over with olive oil. Lay them on the barbecue grid or grill tray and cook for 3 minutes on each side, turning carefully.

To serve, dress the peppers and onions with the reserved oil and vinegar mixture. Add the rocket leaves and toss to combine. Serve the sardines with the pepper salad, lemon halves and a sprinkling of salt.

Monkfish on the bone, spiced butter and fennel

Monkfish marinated and cooked this way is particularly special. This fish really benefits from being cooked on the bone, as it helps to stop the flesh shrinking too much. It works well on the barbecue, but make sure you get the coals white hot or it will stick and youll lose some of the marinade as a result. The spiced butter dressing enhances the flavour perfectly.

Serves 4

1.21.5kg monkfish tail on the bone, trimmed of sinew and skin

100ml sunflower oil

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

tsp cayenne pepper

tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tender rosemary sprig, leaves picked and finely chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the spiced butter dressing

200g unsalted butter

1 rosemary sprig

Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons

tsp cayenne pepper

tsp freshly grated nutmeg

4 shallots, peeled and chopped

2 large gherkins, finely chopped

2 tsp small capers in brine, drained and rinsed

4 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

For the fennel

2 fennel bulbs, tough outer layer removed, cut into quarters

Olive oil to drizzle

Place the monkfish in a dish and add the oil, lemon zest, cayenne, nutmeg, rosemary, salt and pepper. Turn the fish to coat, cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 (or up to 6) hours.

If you are barbecuing, light your barbecue at least 30 minutes before you plan to cook, or preheat the grill.

For the spiced butter dressing, heat the butter and rosemary in a pan over a medium heat until the butter has melted and begins to turn brown. Immediately take the pan off the heat and add the lemon zest, cayenne, nutmeg, a pinch of salt and the shallots. Remove the rosemary.

For the fennel, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the fennel and cook for 68 minutes until it starts to soften but is still quite firm. Drain and place on a tray to cool. Drizzle with olive oil and season.

When the coals are white hot or the grill is ready, remove the monkfish from the marinade and lay on the barbecue grid or grill rack. Cook for 4 minutes, then turn the fish over and cook for a further 4 minutes. Remove and set aside to rest on a warmed plate while you barbecue or grill the fennel for 5 minutes, turning to colour as necessary.

Meanwhile, finish the dressing. Put the lemon juice, gherkins, capers and chopped parsley into a small pan and add any cooking juices from the grill tray. Now add the spiced butter and give the dressing a good stir. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Heat the dressing until it is just too hot to hold your finger in it, then remove from the heat.

To serve, briefly put the monkfish back on the barbecue or under the grill to warm through for a couple of minutes. Place the fennel and the monkfish on a warmed platter and spoon on the spiced butter dressing. Serve in the centre of the table and let everyone help themselves.

Monkfish satay

Monkfish is the perfect fish to cook on a griddle or barbecue, because it can handle big flavours and has a firm texture that responds well to aggressive cooking. Its essential to make sure that whatever you are cooking the monkfish on is red hot; if not it will stick and you wont get a lovely charred finish to the outside. If youre using wooden skewers, pre-soak them in cold water for 30 minutes or so, to prevent them burning before the monkfish is cooked.

Serves 4

600g monkfish fillet, trimmed of sinew and skin, cut into chunks

2 tbsp coriander seeds

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

3 lemongrass stalks, coarse outer layers removed, finely chopped

2 tbsp sunflower oil

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp fish sauce

Grated zest of 1 lime (use the juice for the sauce)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the peanut sauce

A drizzle of sunflower oil

6 shallots or 2 banana shallots, peeled and finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp fish sauce

200ml coconut milk

160g unsalted peanuts, roasted and finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

To serve

1 lime, cut into quarters

For the marinade, toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat for a minute or two until fragrant. Using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder, grind the seeds to a powder. Add the garlic, ginger and lemongrass and grind again. Add the oil, soy sauce, fish sauce and lime zest and mix well.