This was inspired by the New York fish restaurant Esca. They use sugar-snap peas – if you don’t have beans, use these or mangetout instead.

Serves 4 as a starter or light lunch

6 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

A small handful of chives, chopped

A small handful of tarragon, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

250g asparagus, trimmed and halved

200g green beans, trimmed and halved

12-16 scallops (white part only)

A big knob of butter

In a mixing bowl, whisk 3 tbsp of the oil with the vinegar and half the herbs, then season. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and stir-fry the asparagus and beans until just soft – about 4 minutes. Toss with the dressing, then divide between four plates. Heat the final tbsp of oil in the pan and fry the scallops for 2 minutes. Turn, add the butter, then fry for 2 minutes more until just cooked through. Divide between plates, scatter with the remaining herbs and season.

Times Recommends

• How to season a wok
• Chicago Rib Shack hits back at its critics
• Gordon Ramsay: Indian barbecue