ASEARED salmon steak with tiger prawns on a bed of baby spinach and puy lentil curry is a mouthwatering affair - especially if it's also raising money for charity .

This delicious dish from the kitchen of the acclaimed ­Urban Bar & Brasserie, on St Vincent Place, is just one of the treats to tempt the tastebuds from a new book launching tonight at Metropolitan in the Merchant City to raise money for the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice.

Glasgow Cooks Better features healthy eating recipes from the city's top chefs and celebrities to give you a taste of their kitchen in your own home.

"I think the book is a wonderful way to raise money for the hospice's Brick by Brick appeal," said head chef at Urban Bar & Brasserie, David Clunas.

"I chose this salmon dish because it's a good oily fish with plenty of protein and the puy lentils are a good source of iron, there's no fat in it at all.

"It's a very versatile dish, you could make it spicier by adding fresh chillies or if you didn't want to pan fry the salmon, you could poach it in fish stock.

"As a final touch, because the dish has a lot of tomato in it and that tends to be quite acidic, it would be a good idea to add just a little bit of sugar for taste."

David has been heading up the kitchen in the classic brasserie, that sits in the stunning Scottish Provident building, for the past seven years, and before that was head chef at Papingo in Bath Street.

Backed by Glasgow Restaurant Association, all proceeds from the sale of the book will support the £15million Brick by Brick appeal and help to build the kitchen at Glasgow's new hospice in Bellahouston Park.

Other dishes include beef, pork and bean stew from Boteco Do Brasil, in Trongate, a superfood steak salad from Sauchiehall Street's Butchershop Bar and Grill and chicken tikka from Dhabba, on Candleriggs.

Celebrity contributions range from Rebus star Ken Stott's Mamma Antonia Stott's caponata to Carol Smillie's Singaporean chicken curry, Alex Norton's cajun shepherd's pie and Una ­MacLean's Arbroath smokies.

Ryan James, chairman of the GRA, said: "We are delighted that the association members have come together in support of the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice Brick by Brick appeal.

"Our aim is to raise £100,000 to build the new hospice kitchen within the new facility at Bellahouston Park."

The hospice provides free care for people with terminal illnesses, primarily cancer, and support for their families and carers.

Space at their present home in Carlton Place is limited and they plan to relocate to a purpose-built facility on a site adjacent to Bellahouston Park.

angela.mcmanus@ eveningtimes.co.uk