FISH HOUSE BURGERS

Prep time: 20 minutes, plus chilling time Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves 4

We serve these at The Oyster & Fish House in Lyme Regis. They’ve been on the menu for ever, inspired by a recipe I saw in the American gourmet-food magazine Saveur. Try to use the best sustainably caught sea-water prawns you can find, as there are lots of rogues out there.

INGREDIENTS

– 100g firm white fish, such as monkfish, skinned and deboned (prepared weight)

– 500g raw sea-water prawns, shelled and deveined (prepared weight), or you can use frozen and thawed peeled scampi tails

– 1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped

– a good pinch of cayenne pepper

– plain flour, for dusting

– 1-2 tbsp oil, for frying

– 4 soft burger buns, halved

– tartare sauce, spiced up to taste with chilli sauce or Tabasco, to serve

– coleslaw, shredded little gem or cos lettuce and lemon wedges, as preferred, to serve

METHOD

Chop the white fish and half the prawns together with the spring onion quite finely by hand, or blend in a food processor. Season the mixture with the cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt, then transfer to a bowl. Roughly chop the rest of the prawns (you want the pieces a bit chunkier), and combine with the fish mixture.

To test the mixture for seasoning, make a little flat pattie with some of it, dredge lightly with some flour and pan-fry for a minute or so on each side, until cooked. Taste and re-season if necessary.

Mould the remainder of the mixture into four even patties slightly larger than your burger buns and 1-1½cm thick. Refrigerate them for at least 45 minutes, or until required.

Take the burgers out of the fridge and lightly dredge them in flour.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the burgers, in batches if necessary, for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through.

Meanwhile, toast the burger buns lightly. Serve the burgers in the buns with some spiced tartare sauce and, if you like, some coleslaw or shredded crisp lettuce, and lemon wedges on the side.