In the summer time when the weather is high...

Two old friends are visiting for lunch and as south London is sunny and wonderful today we've decided to have an Ottolenghi inspired barbeque. My contribution is barbequed mackerel, based on a recipe my mother used to do a lot when I was little. It's very simple - basically marinating overnight to add flavour.

Yesterday I mixed strips of lemon peel, fresh rosemary, bay leaves and punchy whole black peppercorns in olive oil and left it all to mingle overnight. Today I poured the unctuous, lemony mess over the fish, spooning a little inside to penetrate the flesh. 10 minutes on the grill after the initial heat has died down and they will be done to perfection.

I chose a large mackerel and rainbow trout for this, both large enough to survive the heat and give us something to share on the table with some horseradish sauce on the side.

I'm promised tabbouleh and 'something made of aubergine' to accompany the fish, with flatbreads from the fantastic Iranian shop, Persepolis, in deepest darkest Peckham. Fingers crossed the weather holds...