Mechanically, chemically and optically stable gold island films were prepared on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates by direct thermal evaporation of thin gold films (2-6 nm) without the need for pre- or post-coating. The effect of mild thermal annealing (150 degrees C, 12 h) or short high temperature annealing (500 degrees C, 1 min) on the morphology of the gold nanostructures was investigated. ITO covered with 2 nm gold nanoislands and annealed at 500 degrees C for 1 min was investigated for its ability to detect the adsorption of biotinylated bovine serum albumin using local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), and its subsequent molecular recognition of avidin.