Summer is still clinging on by a thread, October looms and with it all the joys of autumn but for now I am delighted that my tomato plants seem to have survived abandonment for two weeks and though the plants themselves look more like sticks, the tomatoes on them are ripe and plentiful.

I feel like something light and summery to capture the last of the rays and to even the balance somewhat as to the vast quantities of meat I have eaten over the last two weeks in the States.

I have some hake fillets in my freezer left over from a shoot and these will be perfect for what i have in mind.

pan fried hake with tomatoes

serves 2

6-8 ripe tomatoes

drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and pepper

175g small new potatoes

bunch of spring onions, trimmed

olive oil to drizzle

2 hake fillets

good knob of butter

chives, snipped

Slice the tomatoes and put them into a bowl with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and seasoning. set aside. Place the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil and simmer for 10-12 minutes until tender. drain and set aside.

Drizzle the spring onions with olive oil. Heat a non stick pan over a hight heat and add the spring onions and cook, turning, until slightly blackened and very soft. Set aside, keeping the pan on the hob.

Rub a little oil over the fish and season. Place, skin side down, in the hot pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the fish is almost cooked all the way through and the skin lovely and crisp. Turn the fish over, add the butter to the pan and remove from the heat. Spoon the butter all over the fish as it melts then add the chives.

Add the potatoes and spring onions to the tomatoes and divide between two bowls. top each with a fish fillet and drizzle with the nutty butter. sprinkle with more chives ann a little sea salt and serve.