Martin Wishart Kitchen Confidential

Michelin-starred Edinburgh chef Martin Wishart shares his passion for springtime produce, from fresh crab to asparagus and rhubarb

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Spring is probably my favourite season – after the darkness of winter, I find it inspiring to see all the new growth and colour coming through. In my mind, spring is only really up and running when Jersey Royals appear on the menu. They have a wonderfully sweet, earthy flavour that pairs so well with almost all meat and fish – sea trout goes really well, it’s got wonderfully firm flesh and a really fresh, almost mineral flavour. I love to serve the potatoes simply – lightly crushed and seasoned with salt, pepper and a glug of olive oil.

With trout, I find it’s best steamed and served with the crushed Jersey Royals and a watercress purée or sauce. It’s simple to make too – just make sure you only use the watercress leaves as they have the most flavour, and yield a smoother texture.

Nothing says spring more than the start of asparagus season. And I’ve got a tip: if you’re cooking a big batch where you need to peel the skins, do so but leave those skins attached to, and resting on, the stem. Then pop the asparagus back in the fridge until you’re ready to cook it – this will keep it fresh and you’ll save time later by just sweeping the skins off easily. I do this when I prepare my goat’s cheese gnocchi with ricotta and asparagus. People usually think of gnocchi as being quite heavy but the way we make it with Golden Wonder potatoes and a crumbly goat’s cheese keeps it light. The peeled asparagus tips and ricotta add texture and bite.

Scallops are still in season in April and are delicious cooked on a half shell. I’ll thinly slice leeks, courgettes and carrots and scatter them over the scallop, before topping the shell with a puff pastry lid. The scallop comes out beautifully tender, steam-cooked by the vegetable liquids. As for brown crab, it pairs surprisingly well with veal – for example, in a duo of veal and crabmeat tartares. Warm mayonnaise made with crab stock adds a richness to the tartares without drowning out the delicate flavours and textures.

And to finish, there’s rhubarb, which arrives as a pleasing shock of pink in the fields. A dessert showcasing it in three ways – in a panna cotta, roasted, and made into a zesty curd–is a great way to celebrate the arrival of spring.

Who i'm using

Wellocks has a family history of great fruit and veg (wellocks.com) while Henri of Edinburgh provides me with all my spices, butter and most of our cheese (henrisofedinburgh.co.uk).

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‘A warm crab mayonnaise adds a richness without drowning out the delicate flavours of the tartares’

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