Hooked on flavour of fish

I ALWAYS think of fish as a great summer dish. Lighter than the more robust winter dishes, yet just as meaty, nutritious and filling.

Fish is a bit like Marmite. Some love it while others loathe it. I think it comes down to the smell, and lots of people say to me, "Oh, I don't like fish, it has a funny smell". Nonsense. Good quality, fresh fish has no smell.

The key is to always buy fish on the day you intend eating it. Fresh fish always have a nice clean fresh look about them, and the meat is firm. Freezers are not good for fish as they ruin the texture.

All fish are highly nutritious and cod, for example, has more protein than lean beef and very little fat. Oily fish, such as mackerel, salmon and sardines, are high in omega3.

Spring and summer are synonymous with salmon, and while farmed salmon is available all the year round, there is nothing to beat the pure, clean taste and texture of wild salmon.

The Scandinavian countries are aware of the potential troubles with future fish supplies, to the degree that they farm a lot of different species, such as turbot, cod, sole and wolf fish – often called sea catfish and not often seen in Britain but a wonderfully flavoured, if very ugly fish.

Lots of people are down on fish farms, but I think they have their place, especially with the current state of our fishing industry.

In my restaurant we only use wild fish, but this is because customers expect to see this. And the fish is seasonal too. But even wild fish isn't always the best. People often assume that because fish has just arrived into the fishmonger that day, the fish will be fresh, but this is not always so. Some boats go to sea and can be away for days, and the fish can deteriorate in the hold before it gets into port, although some fishing boats have better storage facilities than others.

The freshest fish comes from day boats or men with rods. Day boats leave port and are back within 24 hours, ensuring quality, while line-caught fish can be on your plate within hours.

There are a few people around who catch sea bass with rods in the North Sea. A fish that is really from the Mediterranean, it would venture north in the summer months to the southern English coast. Now it comes up either side of Scotland too.

It is a very popular fish, so, at this time of year, I always choose sea bass. Pan-fried, steamed, roasted or baked, it always tastes delicious and meaty. Simple to prepare and even quicker to cook, sea bass is all in the preparation. And then there's the ever versatile cod, which is stupendous at this time of year in Mediterranean dishes, roasted or even barbecued.

Now all that's left to do is get cooking.

• Tony Borthwick is head chef of The Plumed Horse, 50-54 Henderson Street, 0131-554 5556

Sea bass with new potatoes, peas, beans and avocado (serves two)

Ingredients
2 pieces or fillets of sea bass, 160g each
300g Pink Fir apple potatoes.
1 avocado, sliced.
300g broad beans, out of the pod.
100g peas, fresh and shelled.
75g fine beans.
Affila cress.
25g chopped dill, chives, tarragon.
20ml avocado oil.
Fine sea salt, freshly ground white pepper and juice of half a lemon.

Method:
Wash the potatoes and simmer them in salted water until just cooked. Refresh in cold water and remove the skins. Blanch the broad beans and remove the beans from the casing. To do this, lightly squeeze one end and a nice bright green bean will pop out of the other end. Blanch the fine beans and the peas for one minute in salted boiling water, then refresh in iced water.

Mix your chopped herbs with your avocado oil and a little lemon juice and reserve. Cut the avacado in half, remove the stone and the skin. Cover in a little lemon juice and keep submerged in iced water to prevent discolouration.

Heat a non-stick pan and oil the skin side of the sea bass. Put the bass in, skin side down, until it is nicely coloured. Turn the fish over and add a little more oil to the pan.

After a minute, season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. The fish needs to be firm to the touch with just a little give in it.

In two separate pans, warm through your potatoes in a little butter and water. Do the same with your beans and peas. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Slice the avocado and put it in the middle of the plate. Slice potatoes and arrange them around the avocado. Scatter your beans and peas around the potatoes and put the bass on top of the avocado and potatoes.

Dress with the oil and herb mixture and serve immediately.

Roast fillet of cod with garlic (serves two)

Ingredients:
180-200g boneless loins of cod.
200g mashed potatoes.
6 cloves fresh garlic.
50g unsalted butter.
120g French beans or mange tout.

Sauce ingredients:

50g shallots, peeled and sliced.
50ml Noilly Prat vermouth.
100ml fish stock.
50ml double or whipping cream.
15g unsalted butter.
30g finely chopped chives

Method:
In cold water, bring the garlic to the boil and refresh in cold water. Repeat twice more. Crush and puree the garlic with the side of a flexible knife blade, incorporating a little salt to make a smooth paste.

Seal and cook the cod in a pan until golden, season with salt and freshly ground white pepper and put into the oven (on a moderate heat) until it is firm, but still slightly yielding to the touch. Keep it warm.

At the same time as the cod is in the oven, cook vegetables in salted boiling water, remove, season and lightly butter or use a nice olive oil.

Incorporate garlic puree into the mashed potato and warm up gently in a pan with a little butter at a time.

For the sauce, sweat off the shallots in a little oil and butter without colouring them. Add the fish stock. Reduce until only a little syrup remains. Add the Noilly Prat. Bring back to the boil and reduce again to a syrup, then add the cream. Bring back to the boil and whisk in your butter. Adjust the seasoning if desired with a little salt and lemon juice. Add the chives. Plate your mashed potatoes and your vegetables, then plate the cod. Sauce and serve immediately.