Ingredients

• 2 x 500g/1lb 2oz red mullet (or any other fish) gutted and scaled
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 2 pinches sea salt
• 4 garlic cloves
• thinly sliced
• handful pitted black olives
• halved
• 1 courgette (about 200g/7oz)
• diced
• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika (sweet pimentón)
• handful of frozen peas
• defrosted
• 3 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 100g/3½oz baby spinach
• 2 tbsp finely chopped chives
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ red onion
• sliced
• 4 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 50g/1¾oz smoked pancetta or bacon
• diced
• pinch of sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 heads little gem lettuce
• sliced in half lengthways
• 4 tbsp extra virgin oil

Directions

• Wash the red mullet in cold water and pat dry with a cloth or kitchen paper.
• Place a pan wide enough to hold the fish over a medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil. Season both sides of the fish with salt. Fry for about 5 minutes on each side until crisp and cooked through.
• Meanwhile
• heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the garlic and cook until starting to turn golden-brown. Add the olives and cook for 30 seconds before adding the courgette. Fry for 1 minute and add the sweet pimentón and peas. Give the pan a good stir and
• after 30 seconds
• pour in the sherry vinegar and let it reduce for a few seconds. Add the baby spinach and season with salt and pepper. Add the chives.
• For the vinaigrette
• put the onion in a small bowl and pour the sherry vinegar over. Set aside to marinade.
• Dry-fry the pancetta or bacon in a small pan over a high heatuntil crisp. Sprinkle over the sweet paprika and honey. After 30 seconds
• pour over the onions. Deglaze the pan by scraping off any cooked on bits from the bottom of the pan. Set aside for a few minutes.
• For the lettuce
• heat a pan over a high heat until it is as hot as possible. Place the lettuce halves in the pan
• cut sides down
• and cook for 1 minute
• then drizzle with the oil and continue to fry for no longer than 1 minute. They will darken quite quickly without losing their raw texture.
• Place the cooked lettuces on a serving plate
• grilled sides up
• and season with a little salt. Pour the hot vinaigrette over the top. Serve the fish with the vegetables alongside.