LIVING so near the sea, it is easy to fall hook, line and sinker for fish. Chef Nathan Outlaw loves it all, raw, smoked, baked or battered.

He’s written two books about fish – the second of which, Nathan Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, was published this month.

“I have nothing against meat, I enjoy cooking that as well, but for me, the actual subject of seafood is fantastic,” says the 36-year-old, whose father Clive is also a chef.

“I’m quite friendly with a lot of fishermen, and they fascinate me, I could just listen to their stories forever. And the actual industry itself, with the sustainability and all that side of things, I love it.”

Here are recipes from Outlaw’s new book for you to try at home.

Baked whole plaice and cider onions with tarragon and anchovy butter Serves 2 1 plaice, at least 1kg, gutted 50ml olive oil 2 white onions, peeled and finely sliced 2 bay leaves 200ml dry cider Sea salt (Outlaw recommends Cornish sea salt) and freshly ground black pepper For the tarragon and anchovy butter: 200g unsalted butter, softened Bunch of tarragon, leaves only 2 shallots, peeled and chopped 4 salted anchovy fillets, chopped Lemon wedges to serve Salt and pepper Heat oven to 220C/Gas Mark 7.

For the tarragon and anchovy butter, put the softened butter into a bowl. Chop the tarragon and add to the butter with the chopped shallots and anchovies. Mix well until evenly combined and season with pepper, and a little salt if needed, to taste. Shape the butter into a roll on a sheet of cling film, wrap in the film and twist and tie the ends to seal. Refrigerate to firm up.

Put the olive oil, onions and bay leaves in a roasting tray, pour on the cider and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.

Season the plaice all over with salt and pepper. Take the roasting tray from the oven and lay the fish on top of the onions. Put the tray back in the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the plaice is just cooked.

Meanwhile, unwrap and slice the butter. To check the fish is cooked, make an incision into the thickest part and see if the flesh is pulling away from the bone. Lay the sliced butter on top of the fish and pop the tray back into the oven for two minutes.

Serve the plaice with the cider onions and lemon wedges.

Salmon poached in tarragon with carrots in brown butter (Serves 4) 4 portions of salmon fillet, about 200g each, pin-boned 2 carrots, peeled 200ml white wine 200ml white wine vinegar 400ml water 50g caster sugar 10 tarragon sprigs For the carrots in brown butter: 250g salted butter 8 small carrots, peeled and halved lengthways, or 24 baby carrots 1 garlic clove, chopped 2tsp chopped tarragon Sea salt Cut the carrots lengthways into fine ribbons, using a vegetable peeler or mandoline. Pour the wine, wine vinegar and water into a saucepan and add the sugar, a pinch of salt, the carrot ribbons and tarragon sprigs. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for two minutes. Take off the heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the brown butter, heat the butter in a pan over a medium-low heat until melted and starting to bubble. At this stage, lower the heat and continue to cook until the butter turns brown and has a nutty aroma; don’t let it burn. Immediately remove from the heat and strain through a muslin-lined sieve into a bowl.

Add the halved or whole baby carrots to a pan containing enough cold water to just cover them and add some salt. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the carrots are almost cooked. Drain and return them to the pan. Add 50ml of the brown butter with the chopped garlic and warm through over a low heat. Season with salt to taste and remove from the heat.

Drain the carrot ribbons, reserving the liquor; set aside.

To cook the salmon, bring the reserved liquor to a simmer in a fairly wide pan and add the fish fillets, making sure they are fully submerged. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and leave to stand for 10 minutes; the fish will cook in the residual heat.

To check the fish is done, carefully lift out a portion and insert a small knife into the thickest point, hold it there for five seconds and then place it against the back of your wrist; it should feel warm, not cold or hot.

Once the fish is ready, for the dressing, combine 75ml of the poaching liquor (reserved from earlier) with 150ml brown butter, warm through and add the chopped tarragon. Place a portion of salmon on each warm plate. Divide the carrot ribbons and brown butter carrots between the plates and spoon the dressing overto serve.

n Nathan Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen by Nathan Outlaw is published by Quadrille, £20.