Justin Woods, head chef at The Castle Green Hotel, Kendal, and Greenhouse restaurant

What type of fish dish would chef make using coley?

Sofia Ackerman, Windermere

Coley is a really underused fish and one that we should use more often. I remember my nan always used to buy it for her cat, mind you, her cat was very spoilt. I would use coley exactly the same way that I would use cod fillet. Make sure you keep the skin on the fish, but run a knife over the back to make sure all the scales are removed. Run your finger over the front of the fillet to check for little bones known as pin bones, a little pair of pliers will help you pull out any stubborn ones. In season at the moment is English asparagus, not the cheapest vegetable on the market, but if you are making a saving on your fish, then splash out a bit more on your vegetables. Trim the bottom 2cm of the asparagus, then carefully peel down the length. Blanch in boiling, salted water till just cooked, then refresh in cold water. Pan fry your coley fillet in a non-stick pan, skin side down until nearly cooked through, turn over to finish flesh side down for a minute or two. Remove fish when cooked, add your cooked asparagus into the hot pan with a few knobs of butter, add some thickly sliced radishes and some spinach leaves. Season with salt and pepper, and cook till the spinach has wilted. Remove from pan, serve with your cooked coley. Squeeze a little fresh lemon and drizzle with some good quality olive oil.