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Serves 4

4 fresh trout, gutted but with the heads left on

150g (5oz) butter, melted

75g (3oz) whole, shelled almonds

300g (11oz) French beans, topped and tailed

Salt and black pepper

With trendy new varieties of fish arriving from all over the world, we tend to forget how good our own locally-sourced species can be. Trout is a prime example – it’s available all year round and, served with almonds, it’s a classic fish dish.

Place each trout on its back and open up the ribcage with a knife. Using sharp kitchen scissors, cut the backbone in two places – at the highest point near the head and the lowest point by the tail. If you prefer, you can ask your fishmonger to do this for you.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas 6. Brush each fish, inside and out, with half the butter and season with salt and pepper. Butter a roasting tin and place the fish in the tin, pressing each one down with its ribcage pointing up.

Bake in the oven for 6 minutes and then add the almonds to the tin. Cook for a further 5–6 minutes, then remove from the oven. You can tell when the fish is cooked when you can pull out the backbone easily. Do this for all four fish.

While the fish is cooking, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the beans and cook for 4–5 minutes, or until just tender. Drain the beans and place in a warmed bowl.

Place the fish on plates and add the remaining butter to the hot roasting tin. Remove the almonds from the tin and add to the beans. Season well with salt and pepper. To serve, place the beans and almonds into the cavity of each trout and spoon over the hot butter from the tin.