I have said before that I associate bright red plump strawberries with our British Summer and may overlook the other bright red fruit of warmer days which is the tomato. Yes, I know the tomato is an all year round staple but that deep colour and pungent smell is at its best over the coming months.
Grown in the sun the flavour develops to have deeper tones and sweetness that you really don’t find in the winter. Sliced with chopped shallot, good olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar and sea salt is one of my favourite salads for eating alfresco. This simple salsa recipe uses vine grown tomatoes with cucumber, spring onion, brown shrimps and a little chilli to be served with pan fried hake. Let’s hope the rain holds so we can eat this outside.
Ingredients serves 4
4 hake fillets
4 vine tomatoes
Half cucumber
6 spring onions
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 red chilli finely chopped
100g peeled brown shrimps
Juice 1 lime
80ml olive oil
Sea salt
Method
- Cut the tomatoes and cucumber into small cubes and put into a bowl. Sprinkle in a good pinch of sea salt
- Split the spring onions length ways, wash and finely chop and add to the bowl
- Mix in the garlic, chilli, lime juice, olive oil and brown shrimps – taste and add more salt if needed.
- Pan fry the hake fillets skin side down on a medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes turn over and cook for a further 3 minutes
- Spoon the salsa into 4 bowls and put the hake on top to serve
