THIS RECIPE brings a wonderful medley of flavours and textures to the table. The cayenne pepper adds a hint of bite to the crispiness of the wrapped fish, and when you add the garlicky sweetness of the pea puree to the mix and the added kick of the horseradish mayo, you have a great taste.

A hint – make sure your cayenne is fresh. Cayenne tends to be one of those spices that hover in the back of your spice rack for years. Take the plunge, toss the old cayenne and buy some new. The flavour of the completed recipe will repay you. The grated horseradish can be purchased in the spice section of your supermarket.

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, left whole

200g frozen peas

2 tablespoons butter, preferably unsalted

4 fillets of fish of your choice, boned if possible

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 bacon rashers

2-3 tablespoons good quality olive oil

1 teaspoon grated horseradish

1/2 cup mayonnaise

freshly ground salt and pepper

Preparation

• Cook the frozen peas with the whole cloves of garlic in a pan of lightly salted boiling water until the peas are very tender. Drain the peas well and add to a blender or food processor with the butter. Season with a little salt and pepper and blitz until pea and garlic mixture has a smooth texture. Remove the mixture from the blender (or food processor) and keep warm.

• Combine the grated horseradish and mayo in a bowl and allow the flavours to combine while you prepare the fish.

• Dust the fish fillets with the cayenne pepper. Cut the bacon rashers in half along the length of the rasher. Stretch the rasher out a little with the back of your knife to reduce the thickness of the rasher. By doing this you will ensure that the bacon will crisp beautifully.

• Wrap the strips of bacon around the fish fillets and use a toothpick if necessary to keep the bacon in place.

• Heat the olive oil in a pan until hot. Add the wrapped fish fillets to the pan and cook on both sides until the fish is cooked through and the bacon is crispy.

• Place a round of pea puree onto each serving plate. Top the pea puree on each plate with a crispy bacon-wrapped piece of fish and add a generous dollop of horseradish mayo to the side. A nice touch is to lightly sprinkle the plate with a little extra cayenne pepper.