Campfire roast fish fillets with burnt lemon and thyme

Summer

For this super-easy recipe, you’ll need a wire bread-toaster or some other form of grill basket – it needs to be shallow, so that it holds the fish fillets and lemon snugly. I use an old Aga toaster – you sometimes see them in junk shops or on sale for a snip at car boot sales. Grab one if you can. Mine has been indispensable, although I’ve never actually used it for toast…

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 medium lemons, thinly sliced
A large bunch of thyme
4 large wild bream fillets
A pinch of dried chilli flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Prepare your fire – you’re going to need a bed of hot embers.

Open out the bread-toaster or grill basket and lay the lemon slices over one half of it in a single layer. Scatter the thyme over the lemons.

Season the fish fillets with plenty of salt and pepper and rub them with the chilli flakes and olive oil. Place them skin side down on the thyme. Close the basket and set it, lemon side down, over the hot fire.

Cook for 6–8 minutes, until the lemons are charred and blackening, then carefully flip the basket over and cook the fish on the other side for another couple of minutes, or until it is just done.

Open the basket and lift the fish onto plates. Add a few pieces of lemon to each plate – it will be soft and bitter-sweet. Serve with buttered new potatoes.

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