For fish lovers

A nage is a reduced stock/sauce which is delicious served with summer vegetables or fish or both. You need to leave the nage to sit for the flavours to develop so start preparing well in advance. Roughly chop a fennel bulb, 1 large onion, 4 celery sticks, a handful button mushrooms and add to a pan with zest of a lemon, salt, peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, thyme, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds & enough water to cover. Simmer 20 minutes, take off the heat, add 300ml white wine & leave to cool 2 hours. Strain & pour about 1 litre into a wide based pan. You can freeze the rest for another time. Add a few threads of saffron, bring to the boil & boil rapidly until it has reduced to 120ml. Transfer to a small pan & set aside. This will now be a really intensely flavoured sauce.

Blanch some fresh vegetables - beans, baby carrots, broad beans, broccoli cut very small -to set the colour & put aside. Steam the fish & shellfish - mussels, scallops, prawns, a delicate fish like John Dory. We usually steam the mussels open first then just heat through on the half shell. Add the veg to finish off/heat through and keep warm while you finish the sauce. Drain any fish juice/mussel licquor you have into the reduced stock, bring to the boil and gradually whisk in 100g butter in small pieces. This makes the sauce thick & shiny. Plate the fish & veg and pour over the nage. Here is another version.

I like to eat lots of scallops while they're in season. Try this for a quick weekend lunch. Allow 6-10 scallops per person. Warm about 2tbsp grated ginger, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp very finely chopped capsicum, 2tbsp olive oil. Cook the scallops - 30 seconds each side - in a very hot pan with a little oil & remove to the warmed sauce. In the scallop pan, wilt down a handful of baby spinach leaves mixed with lemon juice. Put on a warm plate, top with scallops, drizzle over marinade & left over pan juices.

During the season, eat whitebait at every opportunity. Make a light batter with 2 eggs, a scant tbsp flour, salt & pepper. Mix through 200g whitebait & fry in spoonfuls about 2 minutes each side. Serve with black pepper & lemon juice. These are a real taste of childhood.

While on seasons, I tasted a Te Matuku Bay oyster at the market this morning. I'd buy them again, however the season is nearly over. What a great start to a Sunday. Strolling along the waterfront slurping an oyster off a shell!

While we're on fish I should mention salmon risotto. This is the perfect spring risotto. Cut 300-400g boned skinned salmon into 2 cm cubes and mix with lemon rind & pepper then set aside. Make a basic risotto with a leek & add saffron with the stock. Blanch some asparagus or green beans. When the risotto is done stir through salmon, vegetables & lemon juice, cover pot & cook 2 minutes, then leave to stand another 2. Serve with lemon wedges.

And don't forget homemade fish & chips.