Mr Nicholas Balfe, head chef at Salon, on his favourite summer ingredient.

I reckon I could live solely off tomatoes during the summer months. OK, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration… I might need salt, olive oil and some bread, too. Perhaps some garlic and vinegar if I were feeling indulgent. But even if I ate them three times a day from June until September, I genuinely don’t think I’d get bored.

At my London restaurant, Salon, we tend to source our tomatoes from the Isle of Wight earlier in the summer. The fertile soil and southerly microclimate on the island give them a longer growing season and superior flavour.

As we reach the peak of summer, however, our attention turns to our allotment in nearby Dulwich, where we grow about 20 varieties. After the glorious heatwave we’ve been enjoying recently, followed by a welcome drop of rain, we’re looking forward to one of our biggest crops to date.

We picked the first few fruits in mid-July and will continue to do so into late August. Whenever I visit the allotment, I can’t help but eat the tomatoes straight from the vine, biting into them like an apple. Roy, who runs our allotment, thinks I’m mad. He prefers to slow-cook them in soups and summer stews, but I’m a firm believer that the less you do to them, the better.

At the height of summer, I also enjoy dishes that require little or no cooking – another reason why tomatoes often take centre stage in my food at this time of year. This recipe is a good way to showcase some great ingredients without doing very much to any of them at all. Extremely simple and fresh.

Ingredients

Sea salt Sea bass fillets (or other white fish) as fresh as you can find, approx 400g A few sprigs of thyme and marjoram, left whole, plus a few more sprigs, leaves only  400g best quality tomatoes, roughly chopped into different shapes and sizes 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped Small pinch dried chilli flakes Dash of sherry vinegar Good few drops Tabasco sauce Generous drizzle of olive oil

Method

Lightly salt the fish fillets on both sides, cover with whole sprigs of thyme and marjoram and set aside in the fridge for approximately 20 minutes. The salt will draw out some of the moisture and the herbs will add extra flavour.

Toss the tomatoes together with the garlic, thyme leaves, a pinch of salt, chilli flakes and sherry vinegar. Transfer to a sieve or colander and leave over a bowl. Set aside for 20 minutes. The liquid that drips out will form the basis of the marinade for the fish.

With a damp cloth, gently wipe off the excess salt, thyme and marjoram from the fish fillets. Slice the fish into thin slices across the fillets, avoiding the skin.

Add the Tabasco to the liquid that has been released from the tomatoes – use as much as you like depending on how hot you like it. Arrange the fish onto individual plates or a sharing platter and dress with the tomato/Tabasco liquid. Place a piece of tomato with each piece of fish and drizzle the whole thing with olive oil. Finally scatter the marjoram leaves around the plate.

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