David Herbert’s no-fuss summer classics

Maximum impact, and minimum fuss: from fish tacos to gazpacho, here are my go-to recipes for delicious summer eating.

Yum: fish tacos with mango salsa. Picture: Guy Bailey

Fish tacos with mango salsa

120ml sour cream

2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

600g fish fillets, cut into 4cm pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

8 corn tortillas

1 baby cos or little gem lettuce, shredded

2 avocados, sliced

¹⁄³ cup coriander leaves

Mango salsa

½ red onion, finely chopped

½ mango, finely diced

½ Lebanese cucumber, peeled and finely diced

1 red chilli, finely chopped

3 limes, 1 juiced

2 tablespoons olive oil

¹⁄³ cup coriander leaves

Preheat oven to 200°C (fan). Make mango salsa by combining onion, mango, cucumber and chilli in a bowl. Stir in lime juice and olive oil. Season with a little salt and pepper. Combine sour cream and chilli sauce and place in the fridge, along with the salsa; chill for 15 minutes. Brush fish with oil and sprinkle with cumin, paprika and a little salt and pepper; mix to ensure pieces are coated with seasoning. Line baking tray with paper; arrange fish in a single layer. Place in oven; bake for 10 minutes, or until cooked. Meanwhile, bake tortillas in oven until soft and heated through. Remove fish and tortillas from oven and salsa from fridge. Just before serving salsa, stir through coriander leaves. Layer each tortilla with salad leaves, fish pieces, avocado slices, coriander leaves and sour cream and serve with salsa and lime wedges. Serves 4

Gazpacho. Picture: Guy Bailey

Gazpacho

1kg cherry tomatoes, halved

1 Lebanese cucumber, roughly chopped

1 red capsicum, seeded, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

2 thick slices Italian-style white bread

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Diced avocado, red capsicum or cucumber, to garnish (optional)

Basil leaves, to garnish

Place tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum, garlic and onion in a large mixing bowl. Remove crusts from bread; chop bread and add to bowl. Stir in 375ml cold water. Puree soup in batches until mixture is roughly combined and slightly chunky; add a little extra water to thin soup if needed. Chill for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight. Just before serving, stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and bowls of diced avocado, chopped capsicum or cucumber to garnish, if desired. Serves 6

Chilled pea, mint & pine nut soup. Picture: Guy Bailey

Chilled pea, mint & pine nut soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 stick celery, chopped

1 leek, washed, sliced into rings

1 litre chicken or vegetable stock

600g fresh or frozen peas

2 tablespoons chopped mint

2 tablespoons pine nuts

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and leek; cook, stirring, for 5-7 minutes until vegetables are soft but not coloured. Add stock, peas and 3/4 of the mint; simmer for 15 minutes. Remove soup from heat. Puree in batches in a blender or with a stick blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cool, then chill well. When ready to serve, toast pine nuts by tossing in a frypan over medium heat until golden. Roughly chop nuts and combine with remaining mint leaves. Sprinkle nuts and mint over soup before serving. Serves 4-6

Linguine with peas, zucchini & lemon. Picture: Guy Bailey

Linguine with peas, zucchini & lemon

200g linguine

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated

¾ cup frozen peas, thawed

1 clove garlic, crushed

¼ teaspoon dried crushed chilli

Finely grated zest ½ lemon

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Freshly grated parmesan, to serve

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in frypan over medium heat. Add zucchini, peas, garlic, chilli and zest. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until just tender. Season well; keep warm. When pasta is cooked, drain and return to pan; stir in zucchini and pea mixture and basil. Taste; adjust seasoning. Serve with grated parmesan, if desired. Serves 2

Chargrilled chicken with lemon, tomatoes & basil

8 boned chicken thighs, skin on

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes

Juice 1 medium lemon

1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved

10 basil leaves

1 lemon, quartered to serve

Flatten thighs; cut slits on both sides. Brush with oil, pat on thyme leaves and sprinkle with chilli. Cover; leave to marinate for a couple of hours. Heat ribbed griddle pan or barbecue grill until hot. Season chicken well; place on pan skin-side down. Let it sizzle for 2 minutes; turn it over and cook for another 2 minutes. Lower heat; continue to cook until thighs are done all the way through (about 5 more minutes), turning once more. Squeeze over lemon juice, sprinkle with tomatoes and basil, gently toss. Serve with lemon. Serves 3-4

Classic pavlova. Picture: Guy Bailey

Classic pavlova with strawberries

4 egg whites

250g (1 cup) caster sugar

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon cornflour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

500g strawberries, hulled, halved

2 tablespoons icing sugar

350ml pure cream

Heat oven to 130C (fan). Using a pencil, mark out the circumference of a dinner plate on baking paper; place paper on large baking tray. Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time, whisking well until mixture is thick and glossy and sugar is completely dissolved. Whisk in vinegar, cornflour and vanilla extract. Spread meringue inside circle, making the edge a little higher. Bake for 1 hour; turn off heat and let meringue cool inside oven. When cold, remove from oven, peel off paper and place pavlova on serving platter. Roughly chop 100g of strawberries. Whip cream and icing sugar until thick; fold in strawberries. Fill pavlova with cream mixture; top with remaining strawberries. Dust with extra icing sugar before serving. Serves 8