Brill is one of my favourite fish – cheaper than turbot, but just as good. It roasts beautifully and makes a great centrepiece for a table, especially eating outside in the summer.

A small brill will feed two, but you can get bigger ones that would feed five or six (make sure you have a pan big enough for the fish).

It has such a good flavour that you want to keep it simple. Drizzle a roasting pan with oil. Wash and dry the fish, and lay it in the pan. Using a sharp knife, trim around the body of the fish where it meets the frills – the fin like bits running up each side. Drizzle with oil, salt and add thyme or marjoram or oregano.

Roast in a hot oven – 220ºC, and place it at the top of the oven. Check it after 15 minutes, maybe throw in a splash of water or white wine into the pan, and return to the oven for a few more minutes. If your oven is underpowered, you could put it under the grill for this last bit. 

Check the flesh comes cleanly away from the bone, and it’s ready. Serve on a big plate with lemon. Don’t be daunted by serving the whole fish. If you cut along the backbone (where you can see the flesh exposed above), you’ll get two fillets which come away from the bone easily. The frills are full of small bones, so push them away, lift up the backbone, and you’ll have two more fillets underneath.

Simple, and stunning.