Recipe-less recipe (that works)

I remember being so excited when I watched Nigella Lawson make this recipe in the Nigella Bites television series. I made it myself the next day. It's that sort of a recipe. No real quantities, just do as you feel, and 'voila', a delicious meal is served lickety split!

Because I have never followed a recipe for this, the peas always turn out slightly differently, sometimes wetter, sometimes garlickier, but it's always delicious. Nigella uses Salmon when she makes it, I usually select Ocean Trout, which is cheaper, but equally as delicious, and quite similar in flavour, texture and appearance.

Ocean Trout with Bacon and Peas

1 rasher of bacon (real, full length bacon if you can, you want some fat)
1 portion of ocean trout (or salmon) with the skin on for preference
1 small clove of garlic
1 cup (though I never measure) frozen peas
butter to taste
sour cream or creme fraiche, about a tbsp's worth
salt
pepper

Pop some water on to boil.

Using scissors, snip the bacon into a pan on the heat, cook it off until it's given off some fat and become nice and crispy (and I always cut off the rind, but add it to the pan too - yum)

Remove the bacon, and set aside, but leave the fat behind. Pop the fish in (skin side down first if it has skin) and cook off to your desired degree. This will depend on the thickness of the fish too, but I like mine quite under, so do it about two minutes on skin side and a minute on the second side.

In the mean time the water should have come to the boil, add the garlic clove (unpeeled) and toss in the peas. Give this just a couple of minutes. I find that frozen peas really only need heating through. Use a straining spoon to remove the clove of garlic, peel it, and pop it in a blender, then strain the peas into the blender too. Add butter, sour cream, salt and pepper, remove the centre portion of the lid of your blender, so that the top doesn't blow off, cover it with a tea towel and blend away until you have the texture you like.

Pop the peas and salmon on your plate, sprinkle over the bacon and enjoy!

Serves 1

I could eat this every day! Just delicious, and genuine fast food. The skin, like fish crackling, sweet, soft peas and intense savoury bacon all sit so well with the beautiful, mildly-flavoured trout flesh.