Worth shelling out: Mark Hix celebrates summer's most versatile

Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our food and drink newsletter for free Get our food and drink newsletter for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. 1tbsp vegetable or corn oil 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped 1 stem of baby or young fennel 1.2 litres vegetable stock Salt and freshly ground black pepper 350g freshly podded peas 1tsp cider vinegar 1tbsp rapeseed oil Cut the fennel bulb away from the stalks and finely shred it with a sharp knife or on a mandolin and put to one side. 4 salmon fillets weighing about 150-160g boned with the skin on or off Salt and freshly ground black pepper A little vegetable or corn oil for brushing For the broth Use the pea and fennel soup recipe thinned down with a little fish stock To garnish 8 or so young leeks, trimmed, washed and halved 60-70g or so of podded peas, cooked A couple of good knobs of butter Cook the leeks in boiling salted water, then drain. A couple of handfuls of pea pods, shelled 120-150g self-raising flour Salt and freshly ground black pepper 150ml milk Vegetable or corn oil for deep frying Cornish sea salt for sprinkling For the mayonnaise 50g well-cooked peas 10-12 mint leaves, washed 3-4tbsp good-quality mayonnaise First, make the mayonnaise. 400g cooked peas, fresh or frozen A couple of handfuls of young spinach leaves, washed and dried 60ml of ghee or butter 2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 2tbsp finely grated root ginger 1 green chilli, sliced 2tsp ground cumin 2tsp cumin seeds 1tsp ground turmeric 2tsp ground coriander Seeds of 6 cardamom pods ¼tsp cayenne pepper ¼tsp ground black pepper 500ml vegetable stock 2tbsp chopped coriander Salt to taste Heat the butter or ghee in a thick-bottomed pan and gently cook the onions for 3-4 minutes until soft, stirring every so often until lightly coloured.