Gary Rhodes: Keeping It Simple

Despite his reputation for intricate and impressive restaurant cooking, Gary Rhodes believes the best way to cook something is often the most simple. In Keeping It Simple, his new, and stunning book, he strips out complicated techniques and fiddly instructions, in search of the easiest way to get maximum flavour out of familiar ingredients.

Try Gary's salmon with salted tomato and herb salad or his tasty pear and macaroon crumble for yourself and see just how easy cooking can be.

This recipe is a starter, but adding a green salad and warm new potatoes would make it a main course. The selection of herbs also doesn’t have to be as great as I’ve chosen.

serves four as a starter

16-20 cherry tomatoes
coarse sea salt and pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus a trickle
for cooking
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped mixed herbs (tarragon, chervil, basil, chives, coriander)
4 x 100g (4oz) salmon fillets, skinned
15g (1/2oz) butter

Halve the tomatoes horizontally, seasoning the cut sides with a generous sprinkling of sea salt and a twist of pepper.

Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice and herbs, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Pat the salmon dry on kitchen paper. Trickle a little oil into a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the butter, and once bubbling, put in the fish. Cook gently for 3-4 minutes before turning the fillets and removing the pan from the heat. The residual heat in the pan will continue to cook the fish for a further minute or so.

While the salmon is resting, divide the tomatoes among the plates, spooning over the herb dressing. Place the salmon beside the tomatoes to serve.

Almond macaroons are easily available to buy and add a different taste to this crumble with their crispy edge and chewy centre.

serves six

1kg (21/4lb) ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into large chunks
125g (41/2oz) caster sugar
juice of 1 lime
200g (7oz) plain flour
100g (4oz) butter, cut into cubes
12 macaroons, crumbled into pieces

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5. Put the pears, 25g (1oz) of the sugar and the lime juice into a large saucepan and cook for a few minutes until softened. Spoon the pears and cooking juices into a 1.5-1.8 litre (2.5 - 3 pint) pudding dish.

Sift the flour and place in a food processor with the butter, blitzing until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the remaining sugar and mix again for a few seconds. Stir in the crumbled macaroons.

Sprinkle the crumbs over the fruit without pressing down. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.