Crab and cashew warm rice salad

I know it's not quite the time of year for salads, but sometimes you want something a bit lighter than the seasonal hearty warming dishes, and this fits the bill as a nice quick light supper (or lunch).

1 dressed crab/ cooked meat of one crab
small handful cashew nuts (unsalted ideally - if using salted, be careful with your seasoning at the end)
150g cooked rice, cooled
handful of fine beans, blanched and halved
1 medium size shallot, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 chilli, seeded
splash of white wine vinegar
handful of whatever fresh herbs are to hand (chives, flat leaf parsley, a bit of mint even)
Rapeseed oil
salt and pepper to taste
salad leaves to serve
lemon juice to finish

Heat a good heavy frying pan and add a good lug of rapeseed oil. Fry off the shallots, garlic and chilli, then add the red pepper and cashews. Add a splash of white wine vinegar and deglaze any nice caramelised bits of shallot that have caught on the pan. Add the rice and fine beans and mix so the rice is nicely coated in the cooking juices. Then add the crab meat and mix all together. Check seasoning, and serve with some salad greenery and a squeeze of lemon to taste.

Prawn, samphire and roasted pepper pasta salad

A summertime supper dish. I love samphire (or 'Hampshire', as predictive text prefers) with fish, with all its salty, mineral flavours. You can eat it raw, but it's also really nice just quickly steamed.

Serves two

Handful of samphire
200g raw prawns
A roasted sweet red pepper, cut into chunks
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Pasta, cooked and cooled
Handful of rocket

For the dressing:
Juice of half a lemon, olive oil, sea salt

Steam the samphire and prawns together for just a few minutes, until the prawns are done. Meanwhile, toss all the other ingredients together with half the dressing. When the prawns and samphire are done, add them to the dish and drizzle over the rest of the dressing.

Chicory and rocket salad

A summery, lightly piquant salad. Serves two as a side dish.

2 heads of chicory
Handful of rocket
1tbs capers
half a red onion, very thinly sliced

For the dressing:
1 tbs olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
2 semi-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1tbs fresh parsley, chopped

Separate the chicory leaves and arrange in a bowl with the other main ingredients.
Mix the dressing ingredients together well, and pour over the salad.

Mushroom and artichoke salad

This is a quick and easy weekday supper. Serves two.

Three big handfuls of seasonal salad leaves
A big handful of chestnut or similar mushrooms, quartered
Big dash of soy sauce
75g (drained) artichoke heart antipasto
sprinkle of mixed seeds
Lug of olive oil or 10g unsalted butter

For the dressing:
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp green pesto, or sprig of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1 tbs olive oil

Splash the soy sauce over the chopped mushrooms. Mix well to coat the mushrooms and leave to stand for several minutes. Meanwhile, heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan, add the mixed seeds and toast them gently until they're just starting to pop. Don't let them burn. Transfer them to a bowl and set aside.
Add the olive oil or butter to the frying pan and let it get to cooking temperature. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook them for about ten minutes, stirring frequently.
Meanwhile, make the dressing - put all the dressing ingredients in a lidded jar or other suitable container and shake well.
Place the salad leaves in a bowl, lay the artichoke hearts on top, then the cooked mushrooms. Drizzle the dressing over the top and sprinkle the toasted seeds.

Optional extras:
If you like, you can add some parmesan shavings; or half a finely sliced red onion, which has been left to marinate with a little sugar and splash of balsamic vinegar beforehand.

Warm salad of smoked mackerel and celeriac

This is a fairly quick light supper. Serves 2

1 small head of celeriac, cut into half inch cubes
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
pinch of thyme
two smoked mackerel fillets, skin removed and cut into chunks
olive oil
50 ml water
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp Dijon mustard
salad leaves - whatever mixture you like

Heat a couple of lugs of olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan. Add the onion and celeriac, and stir well to get coated in the oil. Cover and cook for a few minutes, giving the pan an occasional shake. Add the chilli, garlic and thyme and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the water and mustard, cover and cook on a slow heat for about ten minutes, until the celeriac is getting tender. Uncover, to reduce the liquid. When it's thickened nicely, stir in the mackerel chunks just to warm through. Season to taste.
Serve tossed through the salad leaves.