Food & drink Nigel Slater

I want to shred pale, crackling salad and dress it with tart little pickles. Now that spring is here I can

frying, then finish with the lime juice and Thai basil and, if you wish, coriander leaves.

Smoked trout, fennel and sweet-sour onions

A crunchy, bright-tasting salad to start the season. I learned the trick of speeding up the pickled onions from Mark Diacono – rub the onions and salt together as if you are warming your hands. It works. Serves 2

red onion 1, large

salt 1 tbsp

cider vinegar 50ml

whole black peppercorns 6

white peppercorns 1 tsp

caster sugar 1 tsp

For the salad

fennel bulb 350g

olive oil 4 tbsp

cucumber half (250g)

smoked trout fillets 350g

pink grapefruit 1

orange 1

sprouted seeds 50g

Peel the onion, cut into pencil-thick slices, then separate into rings. Toss the rings of onion with the salt, rubbing it all over the onions with your hands, then set aside for an hour. Rinse the salt from the onion rings in a sieve, then put them in a wide-mouthed jar, pour in the vinegar, add the peppercorns and sugar, then screw on the lid and shake gently until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside for a good hour before using.

Cut the fennel in half from root to tip, then cut into thin slices, no thicker than a £1 coin. Mix together 2 tbsp of the vinegar from the onions, 4 tbsp of olive oil, a pinch of salt and a little ground black pepper. Pour the dressing over the fennel and set aside.

Peel the cucumber, halve it lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Cut into 2.5cm-thick slices, then toss with the fennel and its dressing.

Break the trout fillets into short pieces, then toss with the salad and the onions, drained of their juice. Peel the grapefruit and orange, then cut into segments and add to the fennel. Add the sprouted seeds to the salad.