This is a simple, zingy stuffing for whole fish such as sea bass, bream, red mullet, mackerel or trout or whatever is in season and sustainable. The quantities given are enough for two 600g bass or 4 small trout or mackerel. For the stuffing 70g breadcrumbs 40g dill fronds, chopped 6 spring onions, white parts only, very finely sliced Zest of 1 unwaxed orange 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper Whole fish (see above) scaled and gutted 1-

See Part 1 of my Salades Composées two-part series here. Salad dressings The soy and ginger dressing (from my Smoked Salmon Salad recipe) goes well with other fish, too, such as salmon, tuna and prawns and with pan-fried duck breasts. Basic vinaigrette The common mistake with vinaigrette (apart from using poor quality oil and vinegar) is to use far too much vinegar and then to add sugar. Please don’t. If you want a sweeter, sharper result, try the honey version below. If you

This is part one of two - today's post on salad components will be followed by part two tomorrow on dressings. Top tips Don’t have too many components - dressed salad leaves plus three other items is often enough. Think of the classic goats’ cheese salad of southwest France: rounds of grilled goats cheese put straight on salad leaves and walnuts with a walnut oil dressing. Aim for some contrast in flavours and textures – salt, sweet, sharp, creamy, bitter; protein, vegetable

Smoked salmon with brown bread should be a treat, but when you’ve had too many garden parties with canapés of sun-warmed smoked salmon on curling bread, it’s time to give it a makeover. This recipe makes a dinner party starter or light lunch main course. The quality of the end result obviously depends on the quality of the fish, but it’s worth knowing that this is also a useful way of dealing with any rather fatty or oily smoked salmon. Serves 6 as a starter 20g fresh ginger

Salad doesn’t have to be something on the side or a bit of greenery bringing up the rear. It can be a starter or the main event and it can be childlishly simple to prepare, but it will only be delicious if the ingredients are of impeccable quality and genuinely complementary. Sounds obvious, but it’s surprising how often people - and restaurants - slip up. Using good oil and vinegar is a start: they won’t guarantee success, but they’ll pay dividends along the way. That doesn’

An effortless way to cook whole fish, either one per person or sharing. Just put the fish in a foil parcel with herbs and liquor and put it in the oven. Lots of fish are suitable, including bream, large salmon and small trout, but my favourite is sea bass, so that’s what’s here. (You can also adapt this recipe to pork chops, but cook them more slowly for longer.) Serves 2 Olive oil 1 shallot, very finely sliced 1 x 500g sea bass, cleaned and gutted 2 sprigs dill or tarragon S

Irish whiskey may sound unlikely, but trust me. Ideally you should buy live prawns and cook them yourself, but I’ve been known to use supermarket tiger prawns and I’m still here. I’ve also used Scotch whisky instead of Irish whiskey and lived to tell the tale, although Northern Irish chef Paul Rankin, who gave me the idea, swears by his local – Bushmills - which he says is lighter than many a Scotch. I wouldn’t use a peaty Islay, although I might try a French brandy. The red

Far be it from me to suggest that anyone should find cooking with wine in Britain off-puttingly expensive, but I do concede that, thanks to our swingeing taxes on alcohol, it can be expensive. The trouble with wine is that once opened, it doesn’t keep, so anything left over has to be drunk (isn’t life hard?) which means that next time you want to cook with wine you have to buy another bottle. This is where, spirits and fortified wines have the edge. Spirits, including liqueur

Is it just me or have we become oddly unimaginative about breakfast, belying the British reputation for starting the day with the closest thing to a banquet? I wouldn’t dream of eating the same thing day in day out at other meals, so I can’t think why I’ve been so boring about breakfast. Well, not any more. Last weekend it was kedgeree on Saturday and bacon muffins, eggs and mushrooms on Sunday. We’ve had friands with our coffee and there’s a fridge-full of home-made lemon cu