Asparagus, radish and fennel salad

Serves 4

Asparagus, radish and fennel salad (Jason Lowe)

I love using raw asparagus, thinly shaved, in salads like this, as it has a completely different flavour raw from cooked. You can also use other vegetables in this dish, such as carrots, courgettes or cucumber, to add a nice variety of colours.

You can serve this as a starter, or as an accompaniment to simply grilled or barbecued fish.

6-8 thick asparagus spears with the woody ends trimmed off
1 medium head of fennel, halved and thinly sliced
12-15 large radishes, washed, thinly sliced, leaves reserved for the salad

For the dressing

The juice of a lemon
1tbsp good-quality white-wine vinegar
3tbsp peanut or walnut oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut the asparagus on the angle as thinly as possible. Mix all the ingredients together for the dressing; toss the asparagus, fennel, radishes and leaves in it; season. Serve in a sharing bowl.