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Today, 20 November 2008

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One of the really nice things about living in Hout Bay is the ready availability of fresh snoek which, even at R25-R35 rand each, is really good value.

If you ask 100 different people how they fry, braai, barbeque, bake, grill or smoor their snoek you will no doubt get 100 different answers and 100 different recipes – and probably all of them very good.

A whole fresh snoek always means two fine meals to me. The first one is the traditional South African braai (that’s barbeque or barbie to you foreigners) and the left-over fish is turned into my own delicious cross between kedgeree and smoor snoek.

For the record, I baste the snoek on the barbeque with nothing else but melted butter. I sprinkle only coarse sea salt and coarse ground black pepper.

I braai the fish quickly, low and close to very hot coals, meat side first, then I turn it, lift it about four bricks from the fire, paint it with butter again and leave it skin side down to cook through.

The whole process takes only a few minutes.

Once we’ve had our fill of the snoek, the left-overs are wrapped in tin foil and kept in the fridge overnight. Then the following day comes the real treat – the kedgeree a la Hout Bay.

It’s simple. It’s delicious. And it goes a long way. With a good size snoek one can feed four on the braai and four again with the kedgeree.

This is what you will need for the kedgeree:
• Left-over snoek, all the bones and skin removed, coarsely flaked
• 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 2 onions, finely sliced
• 2 large onions, peeled and diced
• 1-2 fresh green chillies, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
• 50ml Basmati rice
• 1 large lemon or lime
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Boil the potatoes in plain water until just soft, then remove from heat, drain off the water, cover and set aside.
In a large saucepan heat the butter and olive oil and add the onion.
Over medium heat simmer the onion until it starts to soften then add the chopped chilli, garlic and chopped tomato.
Stir well and let it simmer for about three minutes.
Add the wine and bring to the boil for about two minutes.
Add the chicken stock and sweet chilli sauce, a few twirls of salt and black pepper and reduce heat back to simmer.
Add the potatoes and stir in well, but gently.
Add the fish and stir in gently.
Cover and simmer for four-five minutes over low heat. This is just really to warm the fish through. Don't boil or over-cook or the fish will turn into stringy mush.
Boil the Basmati, rinse in cold water, then spoon into a warm dish and heat in oven.

Sprinkle the rice with grated lemon or lime peel just before serving
Slice the lemon into quarters and add it to the rice. It looks good and you can squeeze it over the fish, once you’ve dished up.