How to cook cuttlefish with John Susman’s nam jim sauce - in pictures

1. Preheat the grill to hot, or fire up the barbecue (if barbecuing, ensure the flames have died down and the coals are glowing and covered with white ash before cooking). Make the nam jim. Crush the coriander, garlic, chillies and salt to taste to a paste in a pestle and mortar Photograph: Chris Terry/Pavilion

2. Throw in the shallots and crush. Add the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar to taste and balance the flavours by adding more of any of these ingredients – you want salty, sweet and hot Photograph: Chris Terry/Pavilion

3. Slice the cuttlefish from top to bottom and lay it flat. Using the tip of a sharp knife, make diagonal cuts about 1 cm/½ in apart, first one way and then the other, on the inside of the cuttlefish, making sure the depth of the cut is just halfway through the thickness Photograph: Chris Terry/Pavilion

4. Brush with olive oil and season with salt, then grill or cook over coals, with the cut side nearest the heat, until charred and golden – about 8 minutes. Spoon the dressing liberally over the fish and serve Photograph: Chris Terry/Pavilion

5. Done!
• This is an extract from Fish Easy by Mitch Tonks (Pavilion, £19.99). Order a copy for £15.99 from the Guardian bookshop Photograph: Chris Terry/Pavilion