The idea of marinating the trout is both to flavour it and keep it juicy. The marinade is then boiled down and finished with butter. This is not a dish that will hold and wait, as the sauce will split. Do it when there are just two of you and you are ready to eat. Some new potatoes, scrubbed and buttered would be nice here. Serves 2.

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2 trout, filleted

150ml white wine vinegar

4 tbsps mild olive oil

1 small onion, peeled and very thinly sliced

1 dried chilli, roughly crushed

1 tsp of coriander seeds, lightly crushed

a bay leaf or two

a thick slice of butter for frying the fish

to finish the sauce 50g cold butter, cut into small chunks

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1. Pour the vinegar into a shallow glass, china or stainless-steel dish, add the olive oil, the onion, the chilli and the coriander seeds. Crumble the bay leaves into the dish.

2. Rinse the trout and dry it on kitchen paper, then lay it, skin-side up, in the dish. If the marinade doesn't quite cover the fish, add more vinegar and oil. Roughly crush a few peppercorns and scatter them over, then cover with clingfilm or a plate and set aside somewhere cool for at least an hour.

3. Melt the butter in a shallow pan and when it starts to froth, slide in the trout fillets, skin-side up. After a minute or two, carefully turn the fillets, cover the pan with a lid and continue cooking until the flesh is tinged with golden brown - a matter of three or four minutes.

4. Lift the fish out and keep warm in a low oven. Pour off most of the butter left in the pan, then add the marinade, holding back the onions and chilli with a draining spoon. Let it bubble over a very high heat until it has reduced to a few spoonfuls, now beat in the second lot of butter with a whisk until the sauce is glossy, then spoon it over the fish (there won't be much), and serve.