A fifteen-minute lunch for when you fancy something more exciting than a sandwich.

Serves 1
A whole sea bream, gutted and scaled
A few sprigs of thyme
A small head of fennel
A few fillets of anchovy
A lemon
Olive oil
A little butter
Salt and pepper

– Take a sharp knife and slash the bream a few times on both sides – deep enough to reach bone but no further. Prod a sprig of thyme into each fissure and season lasciviously with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Set aside.

– Put a frying pan over the highest heat you can muster, along with a drop of oil. Finely slice the fennel and chuck it in. Let it sit there for 30 seconds until it starts to burn – there’s enough water in fennel to stop you cremating it but the ferocious heat creates a wonderful flavour.

– Throw in a few anchovy fillets, a pinch of salt, a good grind of pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Toss and stir until the fennel has softened and tip it onto a serving plate, scraping the frying pan good and clean.

– Return the pan to the hob with a splash of oil and drop the temperature a little. Slip in the bream and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. Half way through cooking add a little butter and swish it around to coat the fish.

– Serve with the fennel and a wedge of lemon.