Fishy Pasta

This is a dish that only takes 20 minutes to make but is full of flavour and has become a favourite for when I get home late from work.

Serves 2, but scale up as needed

150-200g pasta.

Small pack of precooked oily fish - we use peppered mackerel of hot smoked salmon slices with mustard seeds - but almost anything with a bit of flavour will do, even leftovers from a buffet that you have doggy-bagged.

Small onion - red adds to the colourfulness of the dish, but any will do.

A couple of tablespoons of frozen peas.

2 to 3 tablespoons of creme fraiche.

Slice the onion, and soften in some olive oil in a big frying pan.

Depending on whether you are using fresh or frozen pasta, either cook the pasta for half the time specified on the packet, add the frozen peas, bring back to the boil then finish in a minute or two less than specified (dried); or, add the peas to boiling water, bring back to the boil, then add the pasta and cook for the specified time (fresh). Steve says he prefers fresh pasta, but I think it is just the shape he likes, otherwise he would not be able to tell the difference.

Just before the pasta is cooked, break up the fish and add to the onions along with a tablespoon of creme fraiche. Swirl around to heat through.

Drain the pasta and peas, then tip into the frying pan. Add another tablespoon of creme fraiche and toss everything together gently. Serve.

Note that you should not add parmesan to this. Parmesan enhances most pasta dishes, but not when there is fish involved. If you are in a restaurant and they offer you parmesan on your pasta with prawns you can tell them from me they don't know what they are doing!