aAlmost everything on the table this month is some kind of salad: steamed cereals with ripe fruits and herbs; Roast peppers with a salty dressing of olives and anchovies; slices of ripe melon and sweet conch; Or a recipe for using up the year’s last asparagus. As summer approaches, so too can potato salad, tossed when heated and steamed with olive oil, lemon and chopped fennel or dill, smoked mackerel and jagged pieces of peeled cucumber .
Could be a bit of meat – a plate of thinly sliced cold-roasted pork with snow-white fat and chewy crackling, or perhaps a few soft layers of air-dried ham. And although fresh crab would just be a great lunch, there would also be smoked trout or sometimes prawns marinated in olive oil and lemon with thin slices of basil and garlic.
Grains such as millet or quinoa, couscous (which is only a grain in appearance) or bulgur wheat form the backbone of the salad, along with a mass of chopped parsley, dill and mint. I toss them with apricots (sometimes raw, sometimes grilled) or tomatoes of every shape and color. At this time of year, we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to lettuce. I’ve been putting together a dazzling assembly of leaves that’s hot, spicy, soft and crunchy to suit whatever’s on the table.
White Crab and Watermelon Salad
There are some wonderful things going on here: sweet white crab and ripe, apricot-colored watermelon; A prick of heat from salted capers and a cayenne pepper. Crab is always a luxury, but I’m willing to pay for the occasional treat. Crab and melon are best when well chilled, and the melon should be really sweet, ripe and juicy.
4. serves
cantaloupe or honeydew melon 1 kg (weight before peeling)
white crab meat 500 grams
Lemon juice 2 tbsp
parsley 10 grams, finely chopped
Black pepper
for dressing
Lemon juice 50 ml (1 or 2 ripe limes)
Olive Oil 50 ml
coriander leaves a handful
capers 2 tsp
Red chilly 1 small, finely chopped
To make dressing, pour lime juice in a medium-sized bowl large enough to hold cantaloupe. Toss in olive oil, then add whole cilantro and capers. Finely chop the peppers, remove the seeds as you go, then add to the dressing.
Peel the melon and remove the seeds. Cut the meat into thin slices, then gently toss with the dressing and set aside. (You can leave it in the dressing, in the fridge, for an hour or more, but not overnight.)
Put crab meat in a bowl, add lemon juice, chopped parsley and some black pepper. Then mix very gently with a fork. You don’t want to crush the sweet, white flakes of crab. Place the melon and its dressing on a serving plate. Pile the crab and oregano salad on top and bring to the table.
‘Last Asparagus’ Salad
The British asparagus season traditionally ends on June 21, the day of the summer solstice. As a thank you to the asparagus gods, I will mark this event with the final Asparagus feast of the year. This time, the spear will be briefly poached, then dressed, while still warm, with Mark Diacono’s delightful elderflower dressing, from his book one year at otter farm (Bloomsbury, £25). This is something I usually use with pale and delicate summer leaves like butterhead lettuce. As festive as it is one-of-a-kind, splurge on some flowers—nasturtiums, rockets or chives—whatever the mood takes you.
4. serves
for the asparagus
asparagus 24 spears
rocket flower a handful (optional)
for dressing
elderflower cordial 2 tbsp
white wine vinegar 1 tbsp
Olive Oil 1 tbsp
Place a deep pan of water — enough to hold the asparagus — to boil and lightly salt the water. Trim asparagus spears, discarding any tough ends.
When the salted water comes to a boil, add the chopped asparagus spears and let them cook for 7-8 minutes until they are soft. The exact timing will depend on the age and circumference of your spear, so test regularly with a kitchen knife.
Make the dressing: Combine elderflower cordial and vinegar with a little salt and pepper. Add oil and whisk until the mixture forms an emulsion. Taste for seasoning.
Lift the asparagus spear from the water and stir gently. Place them on a tall serving dish, pour over the dressing and toss lightly until the asparagus is coated, then sprinkle with rocket flowers.
Grilled Peppers, Tomatoes and Tapenade
Deepest summer flavor – ripe peppers and diced tomatoes, purple-black olives and anchovies. I’ve roasted the peppers so you get a puddle of caramel-colored roasting juices with which to soak up the hot toast, but you can grill the peppers if you prefer. If you go that route, use a generous splash of olive oil to prep the toast before adding the chili.
serves 2
red or mixed peppers 300 grams
Olive Oil
tomato 4 medium
red wine vinegar little
sourdough bread 4 slices
For the tapenade dressing
Stoned Black Olives 125g
anchovy fillets 8
parsley 2 tbsp
Olive Oil 2 tbsp
Set oven to 180C fan/gas mark. Place the peppers in a roasting tin, drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, and roast them for 40 minutes until puffed and blackened in patches.
To make dressing, finely chop black olives and anchovies and mix together. You can do this by hand or in seconds using a food processor. Chop the parsley and mix it into the olives along with the olive oil. If needed, you can keep this mixture in the fridge for several days.
Remove the peppers from the oven, cover with a lid and leave for 20 minutes. The steam they produce by covering will loosen their skins. Peel and discard the peppers, then cut each pepper in half and discard the seeds. Lay the peppers flat on a serving dish.
Slice the tomatoes thinly. Season them with a little red wine vinegar and olive oil, and pepper.
Bake the bread on both sides, then make the dressing while the chili is hot with a little oil. Place a slice of roasted pepper on each slice of toast, then serve with a spoonful of tapenade dressing, and sliced tomatoes.
Summer Herb Frittata Salad with Green Olives and Thyme
I love this dressing as much for its aroma as it is for its flavor, with summer notes of green olive and lemon and a mild hint of youthful, sweet garlic. Prepare a freshly cooked frittata while it is still hot.
4. serves
for the frittata
spring onions 5
Olive Oil 2 tbsp
eggs 4
dill friends 10 grams
Mint leaves 8G
parsley leaves 15 g
butter 30 grams
germinated seeds a handful, such as moong or lentils
fresh oregano and their flowers 1 tbsp, for finishing
for dressing
Olive Oil 50 ml
stony green olives 100 grams
red wine vinegar 1 tbsp
garlic 1 small clove, peeled
lemon peel 1 tsp
parsley leaves 10 grams
To make the dressing, put the olive oil, stoned olives, vinegar, garlic, lemon zest and parsley leaves in the bowl of a food processor and process for a few seconds.
To make the frittata, finely chop the green onions. Heat the olive oil in a shallow non-stick pan with a heatproof (metal) handle – I use about 20cm in diameter at the base – then add the green onions and let them cook for 3 or 4 minutes, until softened.
Break eggs into a bowl and beat lightly with a fork to combine yolks and whites. Finely chop the dill, mint and parsley leaves, then mix with the beaten egg and salt and pepper. Preheat the overhead (oven) grill.
Add butter to the spring onions and let it melt. Keep the heat at medium level. Add half the egg and herb mixture, add any sprouted seeds, then let the mixture cook for 3 or 4 minutes until the eggs are set. Place the pan under a hot grill for a minute or two to set the surface of the frittata. Slide the frittata onto the chopping board, then repeat with the remaining egg mixture.
Slide the second frittata from its pan onto the chopping board and cut both into ribbons, about 1 cm wide. Pour these into a bowl, add the dressing and toss lightly, then transfer to a serving dish.
Green olive dressing with a little fresh thyme or thyme is delightful when you toss ribbons of frittata and dressing together.
Spicy Apricot and Zucchini Couscous
4. serves
vegetable store 250 ml
great, quick-cooking couscous 125g
Apricot 12
runny honey 2 tbsp
ground cinnamon 1 tsp
Coriander tsp
Courtyard 4 medium
Olive Oil 5 tbsp
parsley leaves 10 grams
Mint leaves 5G
flaked almonds 4 tbsp, toasted
Lemon . juice of
Line a grill pan or baking sheet with tin foil. Preheat the overhead (oven) grill.
Heat vegetable stock in a small saucepan. Pour couscous into a heatproof mixing bowl and pour over hot vegetable stock. Stir for a while, then cover with a lid or plate and set aside.
Halve the apricots to remove their stones. Put honey in a bowl and add ground cinnamon and green coriander to it. Add the apricots and toss the fruit and honey together until all is well coated, then tip onto the grill pan or baking sheet. Make sure the fruits are in a single layer, then cook under a hot grill for about 8-10 minutes until softened and honey begins to caramelize. Remove from grill pan and keep aside.
Cut the courgettes and cut them lengthwise into quarters, then into small pieces about 3 cm in length. Toss 3 tablespoons olive oil in a mixing bowl, add salt and pepper, then add gooseberries and gently toss in seasoned oil. Place them on the grill pan—no matter how much honey or apricot juice is left—and cook them under the grill for 8 or 10 minutes until they soften and are lightly golden. Turn them over and cook on the other side as well, then remove from grill pan and add in apricots.
Chop the parsley and mint leaves and mix them with the almonds, remaining olive oil, and lemon juice. Run a fork through couscous to separate grains, then add apricots, zucchini, parsley, mint and almonds. Check seasoning.