It's 34°C in Andalucía and I've spent the day researching and designing my new outside kitchen — complete with a wood-fired oven that will, one day, be doing the heavy lifting on evenings like this. For now, the griddle pan is doing its thing, the new potatoes are bubbling away with a handful of fresh mint, and dinner is almost ready with minimal effort and maximum reward.

This is a two-course summer menu that barely counts as cooking. The asparagus takes minutes on a hot griddle, finished with parmesan shavings and a simple dressing of aceite verde — that intensely grassy early harvest Andalusian olive oil — balsamic vinegar and black pepper. Then the gravlax: Norwegian salmon cured with dill in the traditional Scandinavian way, served at room temperature with new potatoes, griddled baby sweet red peppers and spring onion, a sharp red onion and flat leaf parsley topping, and a jar of mustard dill dressing on the side.

No oven. No fuss. Just good ingredients doing what good ingredients do.

Course 1 — Griddled Asparagus with Parmesan and Aceite Verde

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1 bunch fresh asparagus
• Extra virgin olive oil (aceite verde if you have it) for brushing
• Parmesan, for shaving

For the dressing:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (aceite verde)
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Snap the woody ends off the asparagus — they'll break naturally at the right point. Brush lightly with olive oil.

Heat a griddle pan until smoking hot. Lay the asparagus across the ridges and cook for 3–4 minutes, turning once, until lightly charred but still with a definite bite. You want colour, not collapse.

While the asparagus is griddling, whisk together the aceite verde, balsamic and a generous grind of black pepper.

Arrange the asparagus on a warm plate. Shave parmesan generously over the top using a vegetable peeler. Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.

Course 2 — Gravlax with New Potatoes, Griddled Peppers and Mustard Dill Dressing

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1 pack Norwegian gravlax (salmon cured with dill)
• 200g new potatoes, unpeeled
• A handful of fresh mint
• 4–6 baby sweet red peppers
• 1 large spring onion
• ½ small red onion, very finely chopped
• A small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• Mustard dill dressing (from a jar is absolutely fine)

Method

Put the new potatoes in a pan of cold salted water with the fresh mint. Bring to the boil and cook for 15–18 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside to cool to room temperature.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the griddle pan again. Brush the baby sweet red peppers and spring onion lightly with olive oil. Griddle until lightly charred and softened — the peppers will take 4–5 minutes, the spring onion 2–3 minutes. Set aside.

Mix the finely chopped red onion and flat leaf parsley together in a small bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and a grind of black pepper.

To serve, arrange the gravlax on a plate. Add the new potatoes alongside and spoon the red onion and parsley topping generously over them. Place the griddled peppers and spring onion on the plate. Add a lemon wedge and a good dollop of mustard dill dressing on the side.

A note on the ingredients

Aceite verde – early harvest extra virgin olive oil – is one of Andalucía's great pleasures. Intensely green, grassy and peppery, it's a world away from the mild olive oils found on supermarket shelves. If you can get hold of it, use it here. If not, the best extra virgin olive oil you can find will do the job beautifully.

Gravlaks is Scandinavian cured salmon — similar to smoked salmon but cured rather than smoked, with dill, sugar and salt. It's not something you come across every day, but when you do, grab a pack — it keeps well in the fridge and is worth having in reserve for exactly this kind of effortless summer supper.

Find more recipes in my Fish Hub.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef