Summer openings

I think it’s probably relevant to talk about the weather. Summer’s here and the sunshine is a good excuse for mussels.

One of the joys of summer is seafood. What I like in particular at the moment is seafood that has been marinated.

These mussels are in a green chilli paste that I first started using on octopus in the restaurant. I’ve adjusted the recipe, deleting some of the salt and adding mussel juice.

I tend to marinate the mussels on the day, but they can be marinated overnight to take on a slightly pickled quality.

These are probably as close as I would come to making a canapé at home. It’s a nice way to snack without getting too formal about it.

Actually, a confession: as I get older, I do like to do more canapés. I even jiggle my fingers when I say it, to show it’s extra fancy. There’s something quite satisfying about presenting a morsel that’s absolutely packed full of flavour. It’s a great way to start a dinner party. To save time, though, I will default to a tin of anchovies and a stack of toast.

The other element in this dish is celtuce, which is a vegetable we are seeing a lot more of now. I ate it for the first time when I lived in China, and am happy to see it here. It was offered as an appetiser, chopped and served with sesame oil and a healthy or unhealthy pinch of MSG, depending on your outlook.

It’s sort of like a cos with a juicy stem instead of leaves, hence its other, slightly cruel name: stem lettuce. The contribution it makes to this dish is texture and freshness. If you were really pushed, you could get away with celery for a similar effect.