Jack Stein

What are your favourite summer ingredients and dishes?

Shellfish, because summer is when crab and lobster are quite plentiful down here in Cornwall. That’s the indication summer’s here. I’d eat them pretty much as they are: boiled lobster with mayonnaise, or grilled or boiled crab with mayonnaise. Something simple — you really don’t want to mess around with it too much. I always enjoy getting stuck in with my hands, sharing big platters of shellfish, with a glass of white wine. Also, light, Mediterraneanstyle food. Italian food is so good because it respects the ingredients, and summer is when we get as close as it’s possible to get to a Mediterranean climate for a couple of days, so we have great tomatoes and, obviously, shellfish. So I’d like a crab linguine with lemon juice and olive oil, and then some strawberries and Cornish clotted cream, please.

Where’s the best place to dine in the sun?

I went to Hawaii with Dad [Rick Stein] for his 70th birthday. We went to his friend’s house at Waimea Bay, which, for me as a surfer, is the best-looking piece of ocean you’ll ever see. There’s a tiny food truck there called Pupukea Grill, and they serve amazing things like poke, and raw tuna dishes. We sat on the corner of Waimea Bay; we had spicy tuna and then a doner kebab. I think that’s the best meal I’ve ever eaten while looking at the ocean.

What do you like to eat after a surf?

I’ve been going to Indonesia since I was about 18 and the go-to dish after a surf is nasi goreng. You can have vegetarian or chicken or whatever, but it’s a big bowl of spicy fried rice.

How do you feel about barbecues?

I hate barbecues. OK, it’s not that I hate them — as a chef, the barbecue comes out, and suddenly everyone’s a chef. So I step back and let them burn their sausages. I make side salads and ceviches. I put them on the table and everyone’s eating those as they watch the melee around the barbecue. I like to bring cold cooked lobsters, crabs, langoustines and mayonnaise and make that my contribution.