Salad with ray wing, radishes, hazelnuts and leaves

Serves 4

Ray is usually sold as skate, a catch that is very similar but less available – and sustainable – catch. You do need good-quality wine vinegar for the dressing; I have recently discovered Cult Vinegars (cultceramics.co.uk), which makes unpasteurised vinegars from premium wines, champagne and cider. Alternatively, use lemon juice in place of the vinegar.

— 3 tbsp hazelnuts, skinned — 12 radishes

— leaves from one oak-leaf lettuce or red cos/romaine lettuce leaves, washed — 2 tbsp hazelnut oil

— 1 tbsp good-quality wine

vinegar or juice of ½ lemon — 1 tsp maple syrup

— 600g ray wing

— butter, for cooking

Put the hazelnuts in a heavybased frying pan placed over a low heat. Toast until browned evenly, shaking the pan from time to time, then tip on to a plate to cool a little. Slice or chop the nuts then set aside.

Slice the radishes and put in a bowl of iced water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry, then place in a salad bowl with the lettuce leaves and toasted nuts.

In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, vinegar and maple syrup with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Set aside while you cook the fish.

Season the ray wing, then melt a generous knob of butter in a large frying pan. When the butter foams, put the ray in the pan and cook for three minutes on one side. Turn and cook the other side – the ray is done when the meat comes away from the bone easily.

Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper, then take all the meat off the bone using a knife. Cut the ray meat into bite-sized pieces, then scatter over the salad. Pour over the dressing and serve.