It’s said that we should eat more fish, as well as a greater variety of fish. For this piece, I set out to find you a range of flavoursome fish dishes that should be easy to prepare, however experienced, or otherwise, you are in the kitchen.

According to the Marine Stewardship Council, only one in five Britons eats the NHS-recommended two portions of fish a week – one of which should be oily – while 80 per cent of our consumption is of the same five species: salmon, cod, haddock, tuna and prawn.

I wonder if a large part of our lack of adventure is simply not knowing what to do with it. Fish can be expensive, and people worry about ruining it. Overcooking will spoil the taste, while undercooking brings safety fears.

The recipes I have chosen range from the showstopping – saffron yoghurt hake from Ottolenghi’s new book – to the very simple and sustainable – mussels on toast and sardine puttanesca.

Two of the recipes use saffron, a luxury ingredient but the kind that imparts grown-up glamour with little effort. While expensive, you can buy a pot at most major supermarkets for £4-£5 and only need a few strands for each recipe.

Chaya’s Saffron Yoghurt Hake, from i

From Ottolenghi Simple Too, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Verena Lochmuller. Serves four to six

“This makes a colourful impact placed in the middle of a dinner party table, thanks to the saffron,” says Ottolenghi. “It’s got Chaya [Maya; recipe development lead and a chef at the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen] written all over it: generous, sunny and loved by all. Take a moment to slice the lemons as thinly as you can: the aim is for them to almost melt on top of the fish. Serve with the spiced roast potatoes from the book, or any potatoes.”

• 3⁄4 tsp saffron strands
• 2 sides of hake or cod, skin on (1.2kg)
• 360g Greek yoghurt
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 lemon, very thinly sliced (1–2mm thick)
• 15g thyme sprigs
• Half tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed
• 100ml olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 240°C fan.
2. Add the saffron to a small frying pan on a low heat for one minute to warm up slightly. Take off the heat, add three tablespoons of water and set aside to bloom for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place the fish, skin side down, in a large baking tray and sprinkle over one teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper.
4. Mix the saffron and liquid with the yoghurt, garlic and $1⁄2$ teaspoon of salt. Reserve a quarter of the mixture for later and use a spoon to generously cover the fish with the rest. Arrange half the lemon slices on top of the fish, with the rest nestled around the fish on the tray. Scatter over the thyme and cumin, followed by a good grind of pepper. Drizzle over the olive oil and bake for 12 minutes, until some of the lemon slices and thyme are slightly charred and the fish is tender and flakes easily when pressed.
5. Serve with the reserved yoghurt on the side.

Mussels on toast

Serves two

I love treating “something on toast” as a meal in itself. Using shellfish makes it a really special dinner as well as a speedy one. I was inspired by chef Max Rocha’s dish of mussels and Datterini tomatoes on toast. Rocha, however, steams his mussels whereas I reach for a tin.

1. The trick is to use good bread, a thick slice of sourdough if possible. Toast each side in some oil in a hot pan.
2. Add a generous layer of mayonnaise or aioli onto the toast and spoon your mussels on top. Try Hevva! Cornish mussels (£9.20, The Tinned Fish Market), mussels in Spanish sauce (£5.70, Sous Chef) or La Brujula Galician mussels (£9.50, Brindisa).

From The Winter Cabin Cookbook, by Shellie Froidevaux. Serves six

“Everywhere you go in the Arctic, someone will tell you their fish soup is the best,” says Australian chef Shellie Froidevaux, who leads photography tours in the region with her husband every year and has just published (Murdoch Books, £14.99). Her is simple enough to make but transforms into a wonderful indulgence with the addition of plenty of cream.

• 100g (3½ oz) unsalted butter
• 1 leek, white part only, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 carrot, diced
• 750g (1lb 10oz) potatoes, peeled and diced
• 750ml (26fl oz) fish stock
• 300g (10½ oz) salmon fillets
• 300g (10½ oz) cod fillets
• Pinch of saffron
• 500ml (17fl oz) single (pure) cream
• Salt and black pepper

1. Melt half the butter in a large pot over medium–high heat.
2. Add the carrot, celeriac and potato and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Pour in the fish stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium–high heat.
4. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Add the saffron and cream to the soup and simmer for a further five minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Using a stick blender, blitz the soup until smooth and velvety.
6. Flake the salmon with a fork into large pieces, and break the cod into generous chunks. Divide the salmon among six warm soup bowls, ladle the hot soup over the top, and finish with the cod. Garnish with black pepper and serve.

Serves two

A tin of sardines is a great way to liven up your go-to pasta sauces. For this puttanesca, I replace the anchovies with sardines. It’s OK to use the cheaper tins as the fish ends up smushed up with the tomatoes and olives.

1. For two people, finely chop a medium onion and soften in two tablespoons of olive oil. Add two cloves of crushed garlic and a teaspoon of chilli flakes. Stir into the onion, making sure you don’t burn the garlic.
2. Add your sardines, oil and all, along with 100g pitted black olives, a tablespoon of capers and a tin of chopped tomatoes. Stir together, breaking up the fish with a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer and turn down the heat and let your sauce bubble gently for 10-15 minutes.
3. Cook 80g spaghetti per person until it is a minute off being ready. Add the pasta to your sauce, blending in the pan and adding a spoonful of pasta water if you need to. Careful when seasoning this one, as the capers and olives are already salty. Add a glug of oil and a sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Shellie Froidevaux’s Hot Smoked Fish Quiche

From The Winter Cabin Cookbook, by Shellie Froidevaux. Serves six

If you’re looking for cheery and cosy recipes as the weather turns, make the Scandi-inspired recipes from your go-to. This quiche is a quick twist on a typical fish pie. Ideal with asparagus but you could leave out or replace with tenderstem broccoli, depending on the season.

• 1 sheet (320g or 11 $1/4$ oz) puff pastry
• 30g (1oz) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 1 leek, white part only sliced
• 4 eggs
• 370ml (13fl oz) single cream
• 200g (7oz) raw shrimp or prawns, peeled and roughly chopped
• 150g (5½ oz) hot-smoked salmon or any smoked fish
• 200g (7oz) asparagus spears, trimmed and halved lengthways
• 100g (3½ oz) baby capers
• 100g (3½ oz) cheddar cheese, grated
• Salt and black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6). Grease a 23cm (9in) quiche tin or 30cm x 20cm (12in x 8in) ovenproof dish.
2. Roll out the puff pastry a little on a lightly floured surface to fit the tin or dish, then carefully lift and press it into the tin, allowing a little overhang. Prick the base all over with a fork, line with baking paper and fill with baking beads. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the baking paper and beads and bake for a further 8–10 minutes, or until the base begins to brown.
3. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium–high heat and sauté the leek until softened, then allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and cream together, then stir in the cooked leek, prawns, smoked fish, asparagus and capers. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Scatter half the cheese over the pre-baked pastry base, pour in the quiche mixture, and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden. Cool slightly and serve warm.