"I grew up not far from the Kent coast and spent a lot of time in Broadstairs, Folkestone and Hastings on the piers and in the penny arcades. A fond food memory is sharing fish and chips with my grandad – he'd take me to the Pilot Inn in Dungeness. They were our secret outings. He always used to have a pickled egg with his, and we'd share a pot of tea. I find it so hard to be away from the sea, and the only time I've been inland for any length of time was when I worked in London. I hated it, and used to go to Padstow on my days off to visit my wife, Rachel. Cornwall is such a beautiful, relaxing place to live."

Coley burger with shallot and cider mustard relish

Makes 10 burgers
For the coley patties:
coley fillet 1.5kg, no bones and skin, diced
salt to taste
banana shallots 4, finely chopped
cloves of garlic 8, finely chopped
Dutch red chilli 6, deseeded and finely chopped
olive oil

chives 5tbsp, chopped
eggs 3, to bind
breadcrumbs 250g
sea salt and pepper

For the relish:
banana shallots 6, roughly chopped
olive oil

cider vinegar 200ml
dry cider 1 litre
thyme 3 tsp, chopped
caster sugar 200g
apples 4, peeled and chopped
wholegrain mustard 5 tbsp

bread rolls 10
beef tomatoes 3, sliced
rocket leaves 200g, washed
pickled shallots (see recipe below) 100g

To make the relish, sweat off the chopped shallot in a little olive oil for 2 minutes in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the vinegar, cider, thyme and sugar and reduce over a medium heat until the liquid becomes syrupy. When the mixture is syrupy, add the apple and cook until the apple is soft and then add the mustard. Season with salt and pepper and reserve until required in a jar with a good fitting lid.

To make the coley patties, sweat off the shallot, garlic and chilli in a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil for 2 minutes. Remove the mixture from the pan and allow it to cool down. Using a food processor, in two batches blend the coley for 1 minute. Place all the fish into a mixing bowl and add the shallot and chilli mixture, the chives, eggs and breadcrumbs and give it a good mix with your hands until it is well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. At this stage it is good to fry off a little piece of the patty mix to taste the seasoning as a tester, then you can adjust the seasoning as you like it. When you are happy with the flavour, divide the mixture into 100g balls and then mould them into patty-style shapes. Lay the patties on to a tray and refrigerate until required.

To cook the patties, preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add some olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the patties and fry for 2 minutes on each side. Place the patties on to an oven tray and run them through the oven for 3 minutes. While they are cooking, slice your rolls and add a drizzle of olive oil followed by a slice or two of tomato, some rocket and a few pickled shallots (to pickle shallots, boil together 50g sugar, 50ml red wine vinegar, 50ml red wine, then pour over 2 sliced shallots; leave for 2 hours). Remove the patties from the oven and place them on top of the rocket and shallots. Top the patties with some relish and serve with more dressed rocket leaves and tomatoes.

Salad of cured sardines

The combination of pistachio, orange and pickled chicory was one of my first creations and works well with any fish.

Serves 4 for a light lunch or a starter

For the sardines:
sardines 8 whole, gutted and filleted
oranges 2, juiced
shallots 2 small, finely chopped
green chilli 1, seeds removed, sliced thinly
fennel bulb 1, sliced finely on a Japanese mandolin
caster sugar 1 tsp
smoked paprika a pinch
sea salt 2 tbsp
fennel herb 1 tbsp, chopped

For the pistachio dressing:
pistachios 100g, shelled, roasted and salted
sunflower oil to bind

For the chicory:
chicory 2 heads, roots removed and leaves separated, discard any bruised leaves
white wine 100ml
white wine vinegar 100ml
water 100ml
caster sugar 100ml
sea salt

To serve:
watercress 100g, washed and picked
rocket leaves 100g, washed and picked
orange 1, cut into segments

To prepare the sardines, place all the ingredients in a bowl and allow to marry together for 2 hours and no more than 5. When you are ready to eat and serve, taste the fish and season.

To make the pistachio dressing, using a small food processor, blend the nuts for 1 minute until fine. Scrape down the nuts from the side of the bowl and add a little oil. Continue to blend until the nut mixture has the consistency of a dressing. Reserve until ready to use. The dressing will last for two weeks in the fridge. Bring to room temperature to serve.

To prepare the chicory, place all the liquids, sugar and salt into a small pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Meanwhile place the chicory leaves into a container that will hold them and the liquid. Pour the boiling liquid over the chicory, making sure the chicory is submerged. A piece of clingfilm will help. Allow the chicory to cool and use, or place in the fridge for up to a week. To eat the chicory, drain on some kitchen paper and serve.

To serve, divide the watercress, rocket, chicory and orange segments between four starter bowls. Drain the sardines; reserve the juice. Share out the fish and dress the salad with the pistachio dressing. Serve with a jug of the juice on the side.

Nathan Outlaw is chef patron of the two-Michelin star restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Rock, Cornwall