It was hot – I’m not complaining after this long wait! – and I was busy with lots of work, so I wanted something simple and fresh for supper. I bought some lovely large prawns from Sandys, the local Twickenham fishmongers. They were labelled ‘Never been frozen’, which probably put them ahead of the ones I’d bypassed in the supermarket. I might be in a hurry but I still wanted the best. I had plenty of salad stuff at home but picked up a mango from the vegetable and fruit stall in the high street, asking the stallholder to pick out a nice ripe one for me.

The preparation was pretty instant (you can see I’m in a bit of an instant mood at the moment, what with the Quick Yogurt & Strawberries Ice Cream a couple of nights ago!). But that’s summer for you. Who wants to do the proverbial slaving over a hot stove? The prawns were wonderful.

They were already cooked and I just had to peel them. They were large, juicy and very delicious. I had a mix of salads in my fridge: a baby gem lettuce, some peppery rocket and a fennel bulb. I broke the baby gem leaves in half straight into my serving bowl. I added a handful of rocket and then sliced some of the fennel and mixed it all round with my hand. I cut a few baby tomatoes in half and peeled and sliced an avocado. I laid them on the greenery and then peeled the prawns and put them on top.

I was dithering a bit about the mango. Should I just slice it and make a separate dressing? Then I decided to do a rough version of a mango salsa I often do with tuna (click here for recipe). I chopped some of the mango and mixed it with some finely chopped red onion, some fresh red chilli and coriander. I seasoned with salt and pepper then squeezed in some fresh lemon juice (I prefer lime in this salsa but didn’t have lime). Then I added some extra virgin olive oil and mixed it all together.

I tasted to check seasoning then carefully spooned it over the prawns and salad. It looked pretty good!

It tasted wonderful. The flavours all came together beautifully. It was so fresh but with the creaminess of the avocado, the sweet mango, a kick of chilli and gorgeous prawns bringing a little taste of the sea. I’d love to have been by the sea right them. But actually it was pretty good in my garden too. Flowers in bloom. Warm evening and a glass of chilled rose. A little bit of heaven in a Twickenham garden!