When the weather is hot, food that can be served slightly warm or at room temperature often feels much more appealing than anything heavy. These two recipes work especially well for summer because most of the preparation can be done in advance, leaving only a little assembly before serving.

Both serve two and can easily be doubled for a larger table.

Confit Trout Salad

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 45 minutes

Serves: 2

For the pickles

1 tbsp sugar

100 ml mild white vinegar

1 tsp salt

½ cucumber, finely sliced

5 breakfast radishes, finely sliced

For the trout

2 trout fillets, about 150 g each, skin on

Salt and black pepper

300 ml sunflower oil

200 ml olive oil

3 sprigs thyme

2 garlic cloves, peeled

For the salad

6 tbsp good-quality olive oil

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp mild white vinegar

1 bunch watercress, about 80 g

Juice of ½ lemon

Extra-virgin olive oil

4 sprigs chervil

4 sprigs dill

Prepare the Pickles

Combine 100 ml water with the sugar, vinegar and salt in a small saucepan. Warm gently until the sugar dissolves.

Place the cucumber and radishes in a bowl, pour over the liquid and leave them to pickle while you prepare the fish.

Cook the Trout

Season the trout and leave it at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Combine the sunflower oil, olive oil, thyme and garlic in a wide pan and warm to about 50C.

Pat the trout dry, place it carefully in the oil and keep the temperature between 50C and 55C for 15–20 minutes, until cooked through.

Allow the fish to cool slightly, remove the skin while it is still warm, then leave it to cool completely.

Whisk together the olive oil, mustard and vinegar.

Drain the pickles and combine them with the watercress and about 1½ tablespoons of dressing. Add lemon juice, a little extra olive oil, salt and black pepper to taste.

Break each trout fillet into several large pieces. Divide half between two plates, add some of the watercress mixture, then repeat the layers. Finish with chervil, dill and a pinch of sea salt.

Courgette, Apricot and Stracciatella

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 green courgette

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Zest of 1 lemon

½ bunch basil, leaves picked

1 garlic clove, peeled and thinly sliced

Salt and black pepper

2 ripe apricots

200 g stracciatella

For the almond dressing

45 g whole roasted almonds

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp red vinegar

1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

Grill and Marinate

Slice the courgette lengthways into thin pieces and brush lightly with olive oil.

Heat a griddle pan until hot and cook the slices for about two minutes on each side, until tender with dark grill marks.

In a bowl, mix three tablespoons of olive oil with the balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, basil, sliced garlic, salt and black pepper.

Add the warm courgette and gently turn until evenly coated.

Make the Almond Dressing

Crush the roasted almonds roughly with a mortar or chop them

Mix with the olive oil, vinegar, rosemary, salt and black pepper.

Halve the apricots, remove the stones and cut the fruit into thin slices.

Assemble the Dish

Spoon half the stracciatella onto each plate.

Arrange the marinated courgette on top, followed by the sliced apricots. Finish each portion with about one tablespoon of the almond dressing.

Serve immediately.

Built for Summer

The trout salad balances soft fish with peppery greens and sharp pickles, while the second dish brings together creamy cheese, sweet apricot, smoky courgette and crunchy almonds.